


You don't want to forget [ENG]

by Haze_Cos



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Art, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friend Wooyu, M/M, Other are mentioned, Small apparition Yanan and Hui, Strangers to Lovers, Yuki - Freeform, not Hogwarts AU!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:09:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28035945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haze_Cos/pseuds/Haze_Cos
Summary: Hyunggu led a life that wasn't simple but happy. As a sorcerer living in the non-magic world, he had been able to organize himself to succeed in leading both his human lifestyle and his magical activities.It was anything but simple, but it suited him.Until one day he got caught by a non-magic.And that his forget spell didn’t work.ARTS during reading! :)[I really don’t know how to write a resume, but please give it a try! :)]
Relationships: Adachi Yuto & Jung Wooseok, Adachi Yuto/Kang Hyunggu | Kino
Comments: 16
Kudos: 23





	You don't want to forget [ENG]

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [You don't want to forget [FR]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28034565) by [Haze_Cos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haze_Cos/pseuds/Haze_Cos). 



> Hello!! Thank you for clicking!  
> This idea of OS (we could almost call it a fic given the number of pages...) came to me during the last Inktober with the drawings I created around the same universe.  
> I hope you like it!
> 
> Before you begin, please read this!! :)
> 
> \- This is not an AU Hogwarts! There are references to Harry Potter (spells, small elements), but it's not Hogwarts.  
> \- The drawings were made by me, please do not take them to post them elsewhere and do not withdraw my signature. Plagiarism is punishable by law.  
> \- Basically there was supposed to be one more Art, but I couldn’t wait to post (already 5 months...), it will be added after I finish it! (that’s why you will also see differences in the style of drawing...)  
> \- I don’t have a beta and this is not my native langage, sorry if there are mistakes, do not hesitate to correct me in comment:)
> 
> Enjoy your reading!!
> 
> [EDIT 20/12/29]  
> Art has finally been added! Thank you for waiting! :)  
> I also added bonus arts in the end notes!

A car honked as the young man who had just missed being run over, apologized quickly. Hyunggu signed, it will teach him to be too hasty to cross the road. He straightened his white shirt, readjusted his shoulder bad and went on his way.  
He went along several streets, taking crossing paths to go faster and meet a minimum of people. Although it's rather early, passersby tended to fix him too intensely to his taste.

Hyunggu didn't consider himself a marginal. He was a twenty-two years young man, quite average, having friends and working, like everyone else. He acted like what people considered social mores and didn't really dress extravagantly either.  
He looked at himself, wondering if what bothered people was the combination of a white shirt far too wide for him and pants far too tight in his friends' opinion.

He straightened his head when he arrived at the entrance of a parc to the east of the city. Passing through the portal, he re-concentrated, trying to detect pulsations in the air or unusual tremors in the leaves of the trees.

Although Hyunggu doesn't consider himself a marginal, he wasn't quite like the average population of Seoul. The young man was what people commonly called a wizard  
He was, like other people around the world, a bridge between the human world and the secret world of magic. He had been raised quite normally, with what he was having fun calling "a bonus from Mother Earth". Hyunggu had taken classes to use his potential, and he was now working as a speaker for the World Magic Council, in the Korean branch.

"So many words for so little recognition." Hyunggu murmured for himself.

Hyunggu went up the current of energy he felt to sink into the depths of the park. He passed several bushes before finding what he was looking for.  
He looked at the weak ripple in the around the small breach.

Magic could be hard to contain and the principle of dimensions was complex. It happened that the worlds collided and created accidental breaches. His job was mainly to search for his breaches and close them before they create problems.

The young man knelt before the breach, taking care to shelter behind a bush. He opened his bag and took out an old, damaged book and a small bag of powder. Analyzing the breach at a glance, he opened the grimoire to a precise page, displaying various pentacle drawings and Latin writings. Carefully grabbing the bag now opens, Hyunggu worked to reproduce one of the drawings with a smile. He was lucky that he was early and that he found it quickly. A job quickly and well done before finding again the comfort of his shop.

He placed the bad at his side before straightening up and reaching his hands in front of him, palm up. The young man took a deep breath to calm his mind and closed his eyes, beginning to recite an incantation which he now knew by heart. As he progressed in his recitation, a slight violet aura escaped from his body as a drawing of an open eye tattooed on his forehead in golden hues. Hyunggu took an inspiration before beginning the second part of the incantation, leaving the energy to his hands. The same eye appeared in the air in front of him before closing gently, announcing the closing of the breach.

Then Hyunggu released everything. The eye on his forehead and will have also disappeared, allowing him to congratulate himself for an effective work. He gathered his things in his bag, but froze when he heard a hiccup behind him.

The brown turned quickly to find a petrified human three meters away, staring at him with a shocked look. Hyunggu only had time to notice the striking beauty of the young man before he stepped back, awakening the sorcerer from his stupor.

Hyunggu rose precipitously and rushed towards man in such a fluid way that it might seem non-human. Putting down his supporting foot barely one meter from the poor boy, he began to whisper his incantation of oblivion.

He knew it perfectly because it was one of the incantations they learned first. It was simple and effective, allowing to erase fresh memories of a human memory. It was often used to cover up the little things that happened in their lives.

Hyunggu, with his hand facing him, blew softly on the dish of his hand toward the other man. Hyunggu looked into his eyes, taking note of his stunned gaze and his beautiful chocolate eyes.

A single breath turned into a much stronger wind, causing the boy's hair to fly away, as bright powder and thyme flower petals followed the wind.  
Hyunggu retreated a little, ready to give a new version of what the man had seen, to alter his memory, during the latency time when the spell was working.

However, he didn't meet the usual glassy gaze. The young man stepped back, still clearly frightened. Hyunggu frowned, trying to quickly analyze what was happening as the young man opened his month, stammering in a low voice.

"Did you just cast a speed on me ?"

Hyunggu startled, surprised.

Shit.

In a rapid movement, he grabbed the young man's hand so that he wouldn't move farther away before retreating the incantation. However, he found himself faced with the same result as before.  
Swallowing, Hyunggu grabbed the young man's arm more firmly before dragging him farther into the park, away from possible curious glances. The man seemed to regain his senses with the movement and began to try to make the sorcerer let go. Hyunggu held on but froze when he heard the man take an inspiration. He turned quickly and put his hand on the boy's mouth to prevent him from shouting. He murmured an incantation of silence, but always dealing with noises that the other was trying to make through his hand, he switched to old methods.

"Listen to me. If you follow me nicely, I won't do anything to you. I just want to talk to you. So you just keep quiet, you don't yell, and I'll be nice. Okay ?"

The other man nodded briefly, and Hyunggu removed his hand carefully. Seeing that nothing was happening, he went on his way, always training the boy.

"O-Ok. But if you try anything, I've had several years of judo."

Hyunggu refrained from pouring at the little-assured threat attempt of the boy who was taller than him. He glanced mockingly over his shoulder before stopping in a rather isolated place and letting go of his arm. He put his bag at his feet before turning towards him.

"What's your name ?"  
"Hm… Yuto."  
"Okay. So, Yuto, how come my basic spells don't work on you ?"

Hyunggu began to turn around him, observing him in search of any magical jewel or strange inscription. He saw the boy tender under his gaze, while the sorcerer returned in front of him, doubtful.

"I don't understand what you're talking about… Did you really try to cast a spell on me ? What are you ? A magician ?"  
"Sorcerer would be a more accurate term." Hyunggu said with a biting tone, before sighing. "Look, I have nothing against you, but you weren't supposed to be there. It's forbidden. I could have a big problem with the Council, and you could be in danger if you ever talk about it. That's why, when this kind of accident happens, we make you forget. However, my spell doesn't work, and you remember."  
"If that's the problem, I promise not to say anything." Yuto hastily said.

In front of the poor confident look of the little one, he hastened to add.

"Really. In any case, I'll gain nothing. People would think I was crazy… Look, I really have to go. I'm going to be late for class." He added looking at his watch.  
"Alright, you can go." Hyunggu says carefully. "However, when you leave class, you will come to this address, because we really need to discuss about this problem."

Yuto tried to refuse, not wanting to see the unknown again, but Hyunggu stuck a piece of paper in his hand. The little one took the opportunity to pull on his arm, making him bend forward. Their eyes met and Hyunggu put as much seriousness as he could put in his voice.

"My name is Kino and believes me, you better come after school. If you say anything, I'll know. If you don't come, I'll end up finding you, and I'll make your life a living hell."

He saw Yuto swallowing while a slight redness was spreading on his cheeks. Hyunggu let go his hand, watching Yuto run as fast as he could.

The least we can say is that wasn't common, thought Hyunggu while massaging his temple. What a mess he had gotten himself into.

Yuto took the sprint of his life to the university, silently thanking his athletic stature and endurance to ensure a minimum of delay. He quietly entered the auditorium as the teacher began is class. Yuto quickly scanned the room before spotting his giant friend, Wooseok, beside whom he sat. He whispered a greeting as Wooseok give him a curious look.

"Hi bro. What happened to you ? You're usually never late."  
"Oh hm. Nothing serious. I couldn't find my keys and the park was closed, so I had to go around."  
"Oh, that's weird, it was open yesterday."  
"They certainly close it for maintenance. It's not a big deal."

The tallest hummed, putting a lock of his mid-length hair behind his ear. Yuto tried to remain calm, but he saw pretty well in the eyes of his friend, that he didn't really believe him.

His day passed quietly, gradually bringing up his anxiety of finishing classes. He had to go to a stranger's house, who looked really unusual, and they were going to be alone. Everything could go wrong, and he really didn't want to die at 22.

It was with a knotted stomach that he came out of his last class, saying goodbye to Wooseok when leaving the university. The young man took out the paper with the address, but he didn't recognize the street. After a quick search on an app and a guide path displayed on his phone, he set out. As he progressed, panic prevailed. He had no idea of the neighborhoods he was in. Although the address was only fifteen minute walk from the university, it didn't reassure him in an emergency.

He stopped in front of the facade of a small terraced and full foot house, nested between two storey houses, giving it the impression of being tiny. Yuto passed through the gate, which looked out over a small garden with a short alley. This one was very well maintained and filled with flowers.

Well, at least he didn't feel like he was going to an abandoned place.

Yuto stopped at the door and pressed the button of the bell. A nice carillon was heard as a stifled voice announced that he was coming. He heard the door latches unlocking, revealing an elegant face that seemed already familiar to him.

Kino smiled at him, seeming delighted to see him, and then let him in. Yuto entered the house, not knowing what to expect. He looked around, surprised to find a perfectly normal house entrance.

"Follow me."

Kino guided him into a corridor, as they passed several equally normal rooms.

"No offense but I didn't think a sorcerer's house would look like this."

Kino turned to him, staring at him with big eyes before bending his head to the side in a silent demand. Yuto looked away, not knowing what to think about the cute gestures of someone who probably wanted to fix him.

"I thought there would be a broom, an owl, strange jars… that sort of thing."

The young man gave a sincere little laugh at his statement.

"You've been watching _Harry Potter_ too much. You know, I live like a human and I have human friends, I have to be able to invite them to my house. But don't worry, I have a broom, a cat and strange jars further away."

Yuto hummed, continuing to follow him.  
Kino unlocked a door at the end of the corridor, which led to a second living room, much more alive than the previous rooms.  
The room had a very warm look. There was a sofa filled with cushions and several poufs, articulated around a coffee table. In the background, there was a larger table, where were spread various papers with some strange ustensils. One of the walls was filled with books of all kinds, with a ladder to access it.

But what most marked Yuto was the large clump of greenery found in the room. There were plants in the other rooms which he had seen, but this one overflowed in every corner.

He advanced a little in the room, noticing a closed door on his left, before heading towards the back wall, where there was a window with an interior sill arranged in a bench and a large bay window that overlooked an interior courtyard.

Yuto didn't know what he looked like at this moment, but he saw Kino smiling at his reaction.

"You can settle on the couch."

Then he left, leaving Yuto alone in this big room. The young man did what he said, not wanting to touch anything because he was afraid of the sorcerer's wrath. He continued to observe the piece, searching for magical elements when he felt something rubbing against his leg. When he looked down, he met an elegant cat, with long hair of various shades of brown.

"Hello you." He said, beginning to caress him.

The cat agreed, seeking the contact. Yuto passed his hands in his long hair, listening to the feline's joyful purrs. Then, his attention was caught by the two cups and the teapot that had just been placed on the table in front of him. Kino fell on a beanbag in front, crossing his legs under him.

"I see you've met Shiru."  
"Yes… He's a beautiful cat."  
"Yes, but be careful, he could destroy your hands." He smiles.

Yuto jumped away from the cat while Kino burst out of a crystalline laugh. Shiru, dissatisfied with the stopping of the caresses, rushed on the legs of the sorcerer to curl up.

"I'm joking, it's a perfectly normal cat, but he still bites."

The tallest blew a breath that he didn't think to hold. His anxiety had skyrocketed as he thought he had just touched a magical animal. He was really going to have to be careful what he touched in that house.

"Do you want some tea ?"

He lifted up his eyes of the cat to meet an elegant hand holding a cup of tea. The young man swallowed, looking at the cup. He really didn't trust this guy and accepting something to drink from him could really be a mistake.  
Kino had to see the internal debate on his face as he rolled his eyes, sighing exaggeratedly, before taking a well visible sip of the cup and swallowing it before handing it to him again.

"It's just tea."  
"Hm… Thank you." Yuto hummed, taking the cup in his hands.  
"If I wanted to kill you, I would do it at the park this morning, but I'm against unnecessary violence."

Yuto nodded his head, gradually incorporating the fact that, perhaps, he was a little too worried. He carried the cup to his lips, tasting the tea. His eyes opened a little more as the flavours of the tea reminded him of the one his mother used to give to him when he was still in Japan. He took the cup back to look at it as Kino spoke.

"It's a tea I bought back from one of my trips to Japan. I thought it would give you confidence."  
"How do you know I'm not from here?" Yuto asked, surprised. "Did you use magic ?"  
"Of course not." Kino announced with a gentle sneer. "You don't really have typical Korean physical characteristics and you have Japanese pines on your schoolbag."  
"Oh." The boy hummed, looking at his bad next to his feet.

Kino smiles, drinking a few sips of his tea before addressing the initial subject of the meeting.

"Well, I did some research during the afternoon. I haven't yet been able to explore all the ideas I have, and I haven't yet been able to do so. I still don't know why my basic spells don't work on you."  
"Okay…" Yuto answered cautiously.  
"So, right now, I'm going to have to keep an eye on you."

Yuto was about to refuse, but the young Korean cut him off.

"Look, I leave you no choice. I don't ask for much of your time, just a few evenings a week. I do my research. I do my tests, and once I find out the source of the problem, we solve everything and you go back to your normal life."

The Japanese plunged into the couch, doubting. He didn't expect to have to come back here, let alone several times.

"Wait, which kind of tests are you talking about ?"  
"No panic, nothing dangerous. I would just test little basic spells to see how far the problem goes, that sort of thing. I'm doing this for your own good, so let me do it."

Yuto closed his eyes before accepting. Anyway, he didn't really have a choice.

"All right, but if I'm going to come back here, I want to at least know who I'm spending time with."  
"Oh, you want to introduce yourself ? All right." Kino smile. I'll let you start since you look so eager to tell me about yourself."

Yuto grumbled a little, looking for what he might say. He gave him his full name and his birthday date, while Kino joyfully interrupted him to tell him that they were the same age and that they were born a few days apart.

"Sorcerers are not immortal ?"  
"What do you take me for ? A vampire ?" Kino kept a laugh. "Yuto keep in mind that I am a normal human, with just… an extra little gift from the nature."

The Japanese hummed. He briefly recounted that he had arrived from Japan only a few months ago. He was a member of his college baseball team and had taken a sports exchange program with a scholarship.

"You speak pretty good Korean for someone who only arrived a few monts ago." The sorcerer announced, surprised.  
"My mother is fluent in Korean, so she taught me it and I took extra classes in high school."

The young Korean smiled at him as Yuto ended by saying that he really liked manga and anime. He lifted up his gaze on the sorcerer, silently urging him to handle it from here.

"Hm… What could I tell you…" Kino think out loud. "My name is Kino. I was born on January 27th and I'm a sorcerer."  
"Nothing more than I don't already know."  
"Don't be a child in a hurry." Kino laughed. "I run a herbalist shop in town, and I work for the Magic Council."  
"The Magic Council ? Are there so many of you ?"  
"Hm, I would say that about one-twentieth of the world's population has powers beyond standards… To regulate all this, so that it's not the apocalypse, a whole sub-surface government controls the magical situation. The Wizards Council is made up of very powerful wizards who make important decisions around the world."

The Japanese nodded, trying to visualize the situation. His mind kept returning to images he knew of _Harry Potter_ movies. He was about to open his mouth to ask a question, but the Korean cut him off.

"No, we don't go through public restrooms to reach our buildings." He says with a not amused look.  
"I wasn't going to ask that."  
"Of course you were."  
"Well…Perhaps." The Japanese admitted.  
"Anyway, my friend Hui works on the board and he found me this place in the Korean department."  
"What kind of name is "Hui" ?" Yuto frowned.  
"That's his sorcerer name. Names are full of power, Yuto. As a sorcerer, we cannot give our full names to anyone with power, so we mainly use our sorcerer's names for anything related to magic."

Yuto nodded before fully integrating what he had told him.

"So Kino is not your real name ?"  
"No, that's my sorcerer name."  
"It's not fair. I gave you my real name. I want to know yours."

Kino seemed to hesitate before saying to him that he might tell him one day, but that wasn't the time. The Japanese sighed, defeated. A one-day promise was better than nothing, not as if he was really interested in knowing his name. It was just a matter of fairness.

"Anyway, let's get back to the subject. I work for the Magic Council parallel to my shop. I respond to mission orders regarding the use of magic. It's mostly about regulation, but sometimes it can be a little more."  
"I see."

The silence settled a few moments before Kino reached out, showing him his phone. The young man asked him to enter his number and his KakaoTalk ID so that he could contact him when he had news and to set up meetings. Yuto obeyed, also giving his phone to Kino.

"You can go. I guess you have other things to do." Kino said, walking him to the door. "However, know that if anything happens, you are always welcome here or at the store."

Yuto nodded before leaving him and headed back to his apartment.

The weekend passed without any news from the sorcerer. Yuto had a semblance of freedom feeling until Monday noon, when his phone vibrated. Finishing his sandwich, he unlocked it to come across a KakaoTalk conversation request.

**_Kino_** 🌸✨

12:36 p.m| _Hi Yuto ! If you're free tonight, I like you to come by after school, please !_

Yuto felt a wave of recognition that Kino asked him at least if he could come and didn't force him simply by ignoring the student's own schedule.  
He quickly renamed Kino's nickname on the conversation before answering.

**_Adachi Yuto_ **

12:37 p.m| _I can, but I don't finish class until 6:00._

 ** _Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

12:38 p.m| _That's good._

12:40 p.m| _What if this nickname ?_

12:40 p.m| _We can both play this little game, Adachi !_

Yuto bit into his apple, feeling unconsciously smiling at the messages before seeing his new nickname.

**_Emo Boy from Japan_** ☠️

12:42 p.m| _I'm not emo, I just like wearing black._

 ** _Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

12:43 p.m| _That's what all emos says !_ 😉

Yuto smiled and, in a surge of confidence, took a picture of his half-eaten apple and sent it into the conversation.

**_Emo Boy from Japan_** ☠️

12:45 p.m| _[Photo]_

12:45 p.m| _Emos don't eat apples, they just live with Tokio Hotel music._

Yuto smiled at his own stupidity before seeing that Kino had also sent him a photo. Swallowing slightly, he clicked on it to enlarge it.

It was a close-up photo of Kino, taking half the screen while the other half was occupied by lush vegetation. Yuto could see a good part of his face. Kino had his hair done as usual and smiled at the camera. Yuto could also see a piece of white shirt very indented on his shoulders. But what usually changed was that he wore adorable round glasses with a golden frame on his nose. He could also see a golden glasses' chain from the arms, with small stars. The chain was matching with the chains that Kino wore to his right ear, drawing Yuto's attention to this point.

Only one word came into his mind when he saw the picture.

_Cute._

He tried to pull himself together, turning his eyes away from the photo before looking at it again. He pressed his finger long on the photo to make the options appear and hesitated for a moment. Finally, Yuto saved the photo. He just needed a picture for the contact in his phone, that's all.

He looked at the photo for another moment before leaving the full screen to return to the conversation, where a message was waiting for him.

**_Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

12:47 p.m| _[Photo]_

12:47 p.m| _And I don't have a scar on my forehead !_

12:55 p.m| _Are you dead ?_

 ** _Emo Boy from Japan_** ☠️

12:56 p.m| _No, but I have to go. Class. Tonight 6:00._

 ** _Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

12:57 p.m| _Oh, okay, 6:00. See ya._

Yuto looked at the last message on his way to his classroom before locking his phone. Perhaps it was only an impression, but the last message left him a strange feeling of disappointment. Kino really seemed to want to continue the conversation.

The Japanese shook his head, regaining his senses, thinking that he should just get bored at the shop.

Hyunggu was deeply immersed in the reading of a grimoire written in Latin when the carillon of the door startled him. He looked up at the clock hanging over him to see that it was already almost 6:20 p.m. It must have been Yuto.

Not that he was expecting another visitor anyway.

He took several books under his arm before leaving his office and entering the back room of the house. He took care to close the door of his office with a key and to place the books on the coffee table before opening the door to the Japanese. They had greeted each other before Hyunggu guided him into the back room where they settled one in front of the other, Yuto on the sofa and Hyunggu on one of the poufs.

Yuto coughed a little to get his attention.

"Can I do some class work while you do… all your magic stuff ?"  
"Of course, do what you have to do. I don't want to be the reason for your failure at school."

Yuto let out a little laugh before taking his laptop out of his bag and starting to work.

The young Korean stared at him for a few moments, taking note of the details of his face and how his expression was tinged with subtle concentration as he began to work.  
Recovering his senses, he began to concentrate on his grimoire.

A quarter of an hour passed before he closed it, taking out a list written on a crumpled paper.  
Yuto, attracted by the movement, lifted an eye from his computer to look at it.

"I'm going to test a series of basic spells to see what works or doesn't work on you."  
"Hm… Okay." The Japanese replied, not really reassured.  
"Don't worry, these are harmless spells… There is one that s supposed to order you to smile, or one that will make you get off the couch. That sort of thing."

Yuto nodded before focusing on his work again. Hyunggu began to recite the incantations one after the other, observing between each to see if something was going on.

But nothing. Yuto was hermetic to all the spells listed. Hyunggu then grabbed his wand, hung on his belt.

"Why do you grab your wand ?" Yuto asked in a panicked voice.  
"Wands serve as catalysts. Normally, we're able to use our basic magic without it, but there are days when we're loss focused, if you know what I mean. Sometimes, you need a little help to harness the energy."

Hyunggu tried spells again, holding his wand firmly in front of him, while Yuto abandoned his work to observe the sorcerer. One again, nothing happened.

The Korean growled frustrated before placing his wand on the table.

"Why is nothing working ?"

Yuto smiles softly before returning to his homework.

The next time was Thursday in the middle of the afternoon. Yuto passed through the gate before ringing and hearing the now familiar carillon.

However, no one came to open it.

Pouting, he pressed the bell once more, wondering briefly whether Kino hadn't yet returned from the shop. He was about to turn back when his phone vibrated in his back pocket. He took it out, happy to see a message from the sorcerer.

**_Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

04:12 p.m| _Door unlocked. Come in, back room._

Yuto raised an eyebrow to the message. It seemed somewhat strange for a message from Kino, who usually made full sentences with a lot of emojis. He grabbed his phone and tried to press the handle. Indeed, the door was unlocked.  
He entered the house and took care to close the door behind him before noticing the cat sitting at his feet.

"Hi Shiru."

The cat meowed, moving towards the door at the end of the corridor, turning around, waiting for him to follow him. Yuto followed in his footsteps.

"Sometimes I think to myself that Kino lied to me and that you're actually a magic cat."

The cat meowed, passing the half-open door of the back room. Yuto did the same.  
He was surprised to see someone other than Kino in the room.

This one was standing by the door. The first thing that hit Yuto was that he could have been a model. This man was almost as tall as his friend Wooseok and he was incredibly handsome.

The stranger put one of his powdered pink hair strands in place before turning his gaze to Yuto, greeting him. The Japanese waved a greeting before noticing that he was holding Kino's phone between his long fingers.

The origin of the message was less strange now.

Yuto swept the room looking for Kino, surprised to find him doing a handstand against the closed door of the back, which he supposed to be the young man's office. His eyes were closed, an expression of concentration on his face.

"Hm… What is he doing ?" Yuto asked to the unknown, without taking his eyes off the sorcerer.  
"Oh, I told him it would help him focus, and he believed me."

Yuto raised an eyebrow as Kino opened his eyes abruptly. He swung his legs to come down from his position and stand again. He turned to them, advancing towards the unknown while his face was red from the flow of blood due to the position.

"Hyunnng !" Kino groaned with a pout face. "How dare you ! I really believed you."  
"I know, you do it every time."  
"I'd really have to stop believing everything you tell me." He moaned. "Yuto, I present to you Yan An-hyung." He announced by placing his hand on Yuto's arm. He's a sorcerer from the Chinese branch. I called him to see if he can help us to solve our… little problem."

Yuto looked at Kino's hand on his arm before looking at Yan An to bow a little, understanding the status of the foreigner. Kino retrieved his phone from the hands of the young Chinese man before taking a look at his messages.

"You could have made an effort to write Hyung." He grumbled before encouraging them to settle down.

They discussed for a moment, Kino explaining to the Chinese where he was in his research. Yan An tried to look for magic seal on his body and break them with spells, but found nothing.

When they said goodbye to Yan An, they were no farther ahead. Kino seemed a little depressed and frustrated at not moving forward when Yuto didn't know what to think.

It had been almost a week since he knew Kino, and despite his strangeness, he had learned to appreciate him. He wondered how much the Korean didn't appreciate his presence any more than that to always want to erase his memory. The Japanese were no longer so sure of wanting to lose those memories related to magic and Kino.

  
  


A second week passed, Yuto spent more and more time with Kino, joining almost every evening at his home. The search was not progressing, but the time they spent together was rather pleasant. Kino had even taken him on a trivial mission to close a breach. Yuto had accompanied him with gentle bitching, but had been secretly amazed at what he had seen and the sorcerer's knowledge.

They also exchanged more messages, talking about everything and nothing instead of just meeting messages. They had almost come to talk all day long, filling gaps with emojis and photos of small details of their days.

Yuto didn't want to admit it, but he became attached. Kino was a really nice person, who put a good mood in his day. He even woke up in the morning waiting for a message from him.

However, he tried to repeat himself not to hang on too much.

No more.

Next to this new friendship, Yuto felt somewhat guilty as he spent less time with Wooseok, who was his best friend.

Promising to try to spend more time with him during the coming days, he refocused on the book he was reading.

He was alone, sitting in a pouf in Kino's backroom. Kino had disappeared in his office, making a phone call.

He jumped when Kino sat down on the ground in front of him. He looked up at the Korean, who was still holding his phone in his hand.

"Did you come from a family of sorcerers?" The little one asked.  
"What ? Of course not, don't you think I would have known about it otherwise." Yuto laughed gently.

The other boy hummed and exchanged two more words on the phone before hanging up. He sighed, and Yuto felt the smallest leaning against his leg, laying his head on his knee.

"I was on the phone with Hui-hyung, my friend who work at the Council. He told me that protection could come from a powerful spell cast by someone close to you."  
"Okay… But I'm sure there's no sorcerer in my family."  
"You have no power. It would have been logical for them to have hidden it from you." Kino said softly as he looked up to him.  
"I would have known."  
"Okay…"

Yuto closed his book, watching the other boy pout. He tried not to focus too much on the warm cheek resting against his knee. He wondered what it would have done if he had worn shorts. Would Kino still have put his head against his knee even without the jeans separating them ? Was his cheek soft ?

He came out of his thoughts by the lack of warmth as Kino straightened himself out.

"It's almost 8:00, do you want to stay and eat ? I don't have much in my kitchen, but we can order…"

Yuto looked at him with big eyes. He had never stayed for dinner, always taking care to leave before it was too late. He didn't want to disturb Kino any longer than necessary.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to…"  
"No, I want to. We can order." He said, smiling as he got up.

The young Korean gave him a nice smile. God, that his smile made his heart beat faster and made his knees weak.

Don't hold on any more.

Don't hold on any more.

Don't hold on any more.

But it was probably already too late.

A third week passed, leaving Yuto in a fuzzy heat. He had finally managed to reconcile Kino and Wooseok in his schedule, making him fall into a pleasant routine.

His evenings were spent at Kino's. The research was gradually recluse in the background. Kino continued to look for a solution, but he was running out of ideas. Meanwhile, Yuto took advantage of this time to advance on his homework, helped most of the time by the Korean who had proved to be a wealth of knowledge in many fields.

You had never been so up to date on his classes. The smile offered to him by the young sorcerer each time he came back with a well-noted assignment, was rather a good motivation for him.

On the other hand, his weekends were devoted to his best friend, with whom he would relax watching anime or playing video games.

Thanks to a baseball training deferral to the next day, Yuto ended up at Wooseok's on a Thursday afternoon. They were lying on the couch, catching up on _One Piece_ episodes. The credits went by when Wooseok coughed, drawing Yuto's attention.

The Japanese hummed.

"Bro, would you have told me if you had found a boyfriend ? You know I don't judge everyone's taste."  
"Hum… Yes, I mean… I would have told you if I had found someone. What's the matter with you ?"  
"Well… It's been a while since you can't stop talking about the new friend you met at the park, and I just thought you guys got close pretty quick."

Yuto turned his head towards him with round eyes. It's true that he had spoken of Kino to Wooseok, while remaining to the minimum to explain to him why he was less with him. However, he didn't think he had spread out so much.

"Oh, no, he… We get along well, and he's a bit of a part-time tutor for me too. We just… have a friendly relationship."  
"Ok, it's just that… telling me about his big brown eyes, his moles and the beauty of his hands didn't really make me think that your relationship was just friendly."

Yuto felt his cheeks heated. He had definitely spread out too much.

"I'm sorry. My tongue sometimes goes too fast for my brain." He apologized.  
"It's okay, man." Wooseok laughed. "So, you want to talk about it ?"  
" There's not much to say."  
"I guess not much had an ocean-sized crush ?"  
"… I supposed we could say that."

Wooseok smiled, pushing his shoulder slightly.

"I don't even know his name, or what he looks like except big brown eyes and moles."  
"His name is Kino."  
"Kino ? It's strange for a Korean name. Do you have a photo of him ?"

The Japanese shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't really explain to his best friend that he didn't know the real name of the boy he had attached himself to. Yuto took out his phone, opening his gallery and scrolling through the too many photos he had saved during their discussions. He thought of Kino's words the day they met. Perhaps he would tell him his name one day. Yuto was wondering if he said that when he thought it or was he just buying time before he figured out how to erase his memory.

Yuto opened a photo where the young man was well seen. It was a selfie taken in his shop a few days ago. Kino still wore the glasses with the pretty gold chain matching his earrings. He was almost facing the camera and smiling as a sign of peace. In the background, a real jungle of plants stood in front of a wooden wall filled with shelves and decorated drawers.

The Japanese handed his phone to his taller friend as he whistled, surprised.

"Okay, I admit he's really cute. He works at a florist ?"  
"He's a herbalist, but he loves plants a lot. I've never been to the store in person, but from all the selfies he sends to me, it looks like a jungle."  
"I can see that."

Yuto showed a few more pictures before putting his phone away, trying to close the subject.  
Wooseok had to understand the message, since he launched the next episode.

One episode later, Yuto gathered his belongings to leave while Wooseok looked at the ceiling, still installed in the sofa.

"Hey Yuto."  
"Hum ?"  
"Can I ask you a strange question ?"  
"All your questions are strange, 'Soek." Yuto laughed. "Go ahead."  
"Do you believe in magic ?"

Yuto stopped in his stride, raising his head from his shoelaces to look at his friend.

"Hm… I don't know. It's sudden. Why are you asking me that ?"

Wooseok shrugged his shoulders.

"I read articles on the internet recently, and it made me think. After all, there are many things that cannot be explained around the world. That could be an explanation."  
"Hum.. I don't really have an opinion on that. I need to see things to have proof that they exist."  
"Yeah, I get it."

The Japanese left the apartment a few minutes later, closing the door behind him. He took a deep breath before slowly bringing out the air.

He wasn't planning on going to Kino's tonight, the youngest having a lot of things to do. However, in view of what Wooseok had just asked him, he really needed to talk to the most concerned person he knew.

He took the path of Kino's house, hurrying as the sun began to slowly decline, tinting the sky with orange colors. The student's mind was spinning too fast, asking a thousand questions about the meaning of his friend's question. Did Wooseok know ? Was he connected to the magic world in any way ? What had he read or seen on his computer ?

He passed through the gate, praying that Kino would be back home. He looked at his watch. 7:04. Yuto bit his lips. He really hoped he'd come home. He range but got no answer. He repeated the movement several times before finally giving up and going back to the street.

If Kino wasn't here, he would be at the store. Yuto remembered what the young man had told him to go to the shop from his house and set out, accelerating as the sky was darkening.

He repressed a shiver, then a second one, while he accelerated a little more. There was a small breeze, but it wasn't cold. He felt strange, as if a weight were on his back. He looked over his shoulder. There was nothing.

Yuto felt himself watching, he looked around, not knowing where the sensation came from. Panic began to make its way through him as anxiety tied his throat.

The feeling of oppression grew in one blow, triggering a sense of danger in Yuto, who began to run as fast as he could towards the shop.

He immediately noticed it, having already seen the storefront on selfies. He rushed to the door, opening it violently before rushing in and closing it. He barely heard the carillon announcing that someone had entered, as he turned to face the door, panting. Yuto retreated, staring at the door as if he expected something to follow him.

A hand landed on his shoulder, making him jump and scream in panic. He tried to retreat, barely understanding that the hands were resting on his shoulders to hold him.

"Yuto ! Yuto, calm down ! It's me."

Kino put his hands on his cheeks, leading him so they could look at each other in the eyes. Yuto tried to catch his breath, incorporating the fact that it was just Kino. It was Kino.

Kino's hands came down on his shoulders once he stopped struggling, leaving a trail of hot tingling on his cheeks and neck.

"Shh, shh… Breath, it's okay. Do what I do."

The young sorcerer took long breaths as Yuto tried to follow the movement. His anxiety passing in the background, facing the big brown eyes that looked at him.

Kino's hands gently massaged his shoulders, a pleasant friction that gradually brought him back to reality.

Once the Japanese seemed calmer, Kino slowly let go. Yuto immediately regretted the lack of contact as he watched Kino move.

The young man advanced towards the door, locking it with a flowing motion before glancing through the blinds. Finally, he turned the small sign, displaying that the shop was now closed, before turning to Yuto. He gently took his arm, gently guiding him farther into the shop.

Yuto looked at his hands on his arm before letting himself be guided. His mind having calmed down, he gradually noticed the new place where he was. The shop was not very wide but, it extended far. It was, as the photos of Kino indicated, full of plants. The walls were full of various shelves and drawers, carrying small hand-made decorations. The set cleared a rustic appearance, but extremely aesthetic, which was quite suitable to Kino.

The young man guided him to a small sofa among the plants, not far from what seemed to be the reception of the store. Yuto fell on the couch with the help of the little one. This one went to get him a glass of water before settling by his side, handing him the glass.

Yuto thanked him, drinking a few sips. He felt Kino's thigh move against his thigh as he turned towards him and put his two hands on Yuto's thigh.

"You scared me." He gently said. "You were so freaked out, what happened ?"  
"I… I don't know."  
"You don't know ?" Kino frowned, doubting.

The Japanese swallowed, trying to explain the sensations of the eyes on him, of some invisible things following him in the street, the panic going up in him. Kino suddenly took his cheeks out to make him look at him.

"Yuto, your breathing starts to speed up again. Breath, okay ? You're with me. You're safe."

Yuto nodded, not trusting his voice. He calibrated his breath to the rhythm of the young man in front of him, relaxing. Kino's hands slipped away from him again when the little one got up to moving to a shelf. He looked at the various labels before opening a drawer and picking up a mixture of leaves which he poured into a cup. He added water before reciting a rapid incantation. With a hand above the cup, the water began to boil, giving off a pleasant smell.

Yuto watched him, still fascinated by Kino's magical demonstrations.

The young Korean filtered the mixture and brought the cup to Yuto.

"Here, drink this. This will help you relax."  
"What's in it ?" Yuto asked with a suspicious look.  
"You still think I'm trying to poison you ?" He gently laughed at the other boy.  
"No, of course not."  
"These are just plants that have shooting effects : vervain, chamomile and a little lavender."

Yuto hummed, drinking the infusion little by little while Kino straightened out to go to the front of the store, leaving him alone in the middle of the plants.

Hyunggu was heading for the front door of the store.

Yuto really scared him and that was an understatement. Seeing him in such a state of panic had begun to stress himself, immediately thinking of the worst. Luckily, he was fine and he was just a little shaken up.

He looked through the blinds again, but he saw nothing more than the first time. However, he knew from experience that just because you don't see something doesn't mean it's not there. Something may well be following Yuto and it probably didn't bode well.

He checked once more that the door was closed before turning back towards Yuto. Now, a new question arose to him. Why did he come in the first place, since they had agreed that they couldn't see each other today.

When he saw Yuto, he was lying on the couch, looking at the ceiling. Glancing at the cup on the side table, he noticed that it was completely empty. At least Yuto would be relaxed enough for the anxiety to remain a vague idea in his mind.

He took his place next to be the young man, gently calling him to draw his attention. He heard the Japanese humming, gently turning his head towards him.

"Yuto, why did you come ? I thought we shouldn't see each other today, and then I thought you were at your friend's."  
"Hm.. You weren't home… So I came here." He said, rubbing one eye.

Kino bit his lip. Perhaps he had over-dosed the mixture. But a childish Yuto was clearly something to see.

"Okay, but why did you want to see me ?"  
"Wooseok."  
"Wooseok ? Your friend ?"  
"Yeah. He asked me if I believed in magic and I thought I should tell you about it, so I came here."  
"What exactly did he tell you ?"

Yuto tried to explain exactly what his friend had told him, while Hyunggu was massaging his shoulder to give him a foothold in reality.

"You think he's trying to protect me ?" Yuto asked, putting his head on the other boy's shoulder.  
"No." The youngest mumbled, the red cheeks. "A… A spell of such magnitude requires a lot of experience and skill. I think your friend is too young to succeed in such a spell. On the other hand, it's actually strange that he's coming up with such a topic all of a sudden, so we'll keep an eye on him, okay ?"

Yuto hummed his consent, rubbing his face against the sorcerer's shoulder. He felt his cheeks burn a little more, squeezing the Japanese against him.  
Hyunggu liked physical contact, he was not going to complain. However, it was rare for Yuto to let go and initiate skinship. The Korean had initiated some with him. Light touches, here and there, not knowing how far he could go with his new friend. He therefore took advantage of the uninhibited Yuto that spread against his flan.

Long minutes passed before Hyunggu gently pushed Yuto back to look at him.

"Yuto, it's getting late. I'll walk you home, okay ? Can you get up ?"  
"I think so. I just feel a little… fuzzy."  
"It's normal, it's because of the plants."

The Japanese nodded before getting up, rocking a little. Hyunggu also got up, catching him gently to stabilize him. Once he was sure he could manage on his own, he let him go.

The Korean went to collect his belongings and turn off the lights before guiding Yuto to the entrance. They went out and Hyunggu closed the shop.

They began to walk side by side, Yuto concentrating on the road to go back to his apartment, while Hyunggu looked quietly around.

Yuto was about to turn into an adjacent street when the other young man felt a thrill through him. He gently grabbed Yuto's arm, stopping him in his stride. The Japanese turned towards him, questioning him with his eyes.  
Hyunggu smiles, reassuring, before taking a look around them.

"Why don't you come and sleep at my home ?" He murmured.

Yuto said nothing, seeming to understand the issue while he was also taking a look around them. The sorcerer gently squeezed his grip on his arm before returning to their journey, this time towards his house.

Yuto preferred to remain silent during the walk. He felt panic hovering deep in his mind in a dark blur. He felt the pressure of danger in his neck as Kino's hand on his arm kept him in reality. He dared to look at the little one to his right. He looked tense and on his guard, but kept a confident smile on his face. However, his hand on his wand was no illusion. He was indeed suspicious.

The Japanese followed him blindly to the sorcerer's home. He didn't know what it was or why Kino was so on guard, but he knew he'd be safe with him. He also did not know who had tried to protect him with this spell, but he started the reasons a little better, and he was grateful. The sorcerer unlocked the door of his home before he let them in and rushed to close it behind them. Yuto immediately missed the warmth of his hand when Kino let go to grab a small pouch on the shelf next to the entrance. He saw him busy drawing a line of grey powder in front of the door and each window, whispering Latin words of which Yuto didn't understand the meaning.

Yuto stood in the hallway, felling Shiru rubbing against his legs, until the Korean returned to his side.

"Why don't you go to take a shower ? To relax ?"  
"I don't think I can be much more relaxed than that, when something is after me. The plants you gave me really did their job."  
"Yes, but I admit that I may have over-dosed your cup." Kino laughed gently.  
"I thought as much. I feel soft." Yuto laughed with him.  
"You're all soft and white as an aspirin pill, so you're gonna go take a shower and try not to think about what's going on, okay ? You're with me, in my house, nothing's going to happen to you."

Yuto hummed while Kino guided him through the corridor that he now knew so well. He wouldn't go so far as to say that he knew Kino's house, because that wasn't true. He knew the corridor and the living room from the back, where he spent most of his time. He knew from view the rooms at the front of the house, and a little about the kitchen, but that was it. He had never visited everything and had never felt the need to do so. However, that night, the need to know Kino better tickled the back of his mind.

The young man guided him down the hall, but instead of going through the living room door, he opened the door to the right, usually closed.

Yuto entered, discovering a new room, which turned out to be the Korean's bedroom. It was not very big, but a feeling of intimacy and warmth invaded Yuto. The room was nicely decorated in cream and lavender tones, reinforced by a few touches of a darker violet. A large double bed was in the center of the room, filled with cushions and duvets in a mess. It was undivided with the rest of the room perfectly tidy.

"I'm sorry." Kino said, embarrassed. "I hate to make my bed, which is why I keep the door closed when you come." He explained by opening the built-in wardrobe in the wall to the left of the door.  
"Don't worry, I'm only doing mine because my mom is texting me to remind me to do it."

The young sorcerer let out a small laugh as he rummaged through his belongings, taking out jogging pants and a simple black tee-shirt.

"The pants may be a little short, but I think you should go in." He said, giving him the clothes.  
"Thank you."

He offered him a nice smile, heating Yuto's cheeks, before pointing him the door attached to the room, displaying a small shower room. Kino took him out some bathroom stuff before leaving him alone and closing the door behind him.

Yuto looked at the door for a second before looking little more at the clothes that Kino had just lent him. He had never seen him wear such clothes, always seeing him well prepared, in light tops and tight dark trousers.

He wasn't going to complain, Kino had nice thighs, he preferred to see him wearing his black pants.

In an uncertain gesture, he carried the clothes against his face, taking a deep breath from the perfume of the boy for whom he had lowered his tusks. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking advantage of the litter's smell of the youngest before removing them precipitously from his face, realizing what he was cooking.

"My god, I really look like a pervert." He murmured, ashamed, putting the clothes on the sink.

Yuto undressed, laying down his clothes next to Kino's own. He took off the necklace he wore and his curb chain, placing them on the small shelf under the mirror. Then, he took advantage of his shower, trying to wash the embarrassment. Once clean and clothed with the sorcerer's things, he left the room.

The Japanese opened the door of the usual salon, hoping to find the other young man, but he met an empty and dark room. He closed it and headed towards the front of the house, where he caught a quiet humming. He passed his head through the opening of the kitchen, where the light was on, to find Kino.

The young man was with his back to him, humming a song that Yuto didn't know. He was facing the stove, where he gently stirred something in a large pan. However, his attention was placed on the books floating in front of him. The one that seemed to be the most recent floated lazily over the pan while the other two, more damaged, were at the left. Kino was interested in these, while pages turned lazily. He didn't see to have noticed the presence of the Japanese.

The young man enjoyed Kino's very banal and domestic view before slowly moving forward, trying not to make any noise. He leaned over him slightly before suddenly asking him what he was doing.

The young sorcerer made a small scream by jumping, losing his hold on the books which then no longer resisted gravity. Yuto had just enough time to catch the one above the pan before there was a catastrophe, while the other two fell back on the work plan.

A silence passed as Kino, looking disheveled, and spoon in hand, turned towards him.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again !"

Yuto tried to restrain his laughter from the shocked look of the boy, but he finally let him out at the view of the offended look that Kino made when he saw him laugh.

"Ah ! Because you think it's funny too !" He said, brandishing the spoon, about to laugh too.  
" Sorry, sorry." Yuto laughed. "I promise I will announce my presence next time."

Kino swore, puffing the cheeks before starting to toss the mixture again. Yuto looked at it before repeating his question. He saw Kino's cheeks blushing as he avoided his gaze, concentrating on the pan.

"I'm cooking tonight's dinner. I'm not very good at this discipline, so I often order food to avoid having to do it myself. The only recipe I'm able to make is milk ramen. I hope you like it."  
"Yes, it will be very good, don't worry." He says, putting the cookbook on the work plan. "And the other two books ?"  
"Oh, these are grimoires… I was looking for what was following us earlier, but it could be a lot of things…"

Yuto nodded before Kino cut the fire, saying the meal was ready.

They spent a pleasant evening, enjoying the presence of the other. The sorcerer approached light subjects, asking him what he had done today, how he had spent his afternoon with Wooseok. Yuto smiled at him, telling of his day, acknowledging that the youngest tries to keep a peaceful atmosphere.

Yuto was safe at Kino's, with Kino. He could worry about anything magical tomorrow. For the moment, he preferred to focus on the small intimate bubble they had formed.

They continued their discussion, moving in the back room after the meal. They told each other stories, memories of childhood. Yuto thought he could never know Kino better than in the moment they shared now. However, the hour advancing and fatigue began to be felt. Yuto tried to hold a yawn, putting his hand in front of his mouth.

"Oh, it's late. You should go to bed. I'll accompany you to university tomorrow in the morning, just in case."

Yuto nodded, grateful, as he got up, followed by the sorcerer.

"I'll give you my bed."

Yuto, surprisingly, refused immediately, but Kino insisted, pulling him to the room.

"No, really, I'm already imposing myself…"  
"Yuto, you don't impose yourself. I told you, you will always be welcome here. So, do what I tell you please and go to sleep."  
"But…"  
"Come on, don't worry. Have a good night." He said, smiling before closing the door.  
"Thank you… You too…"

Once left alone, Yuto lay down timidly in that bed which wasn't his. He plunged into the cushions, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. However, his mind was spinning too much, and it wasn't about the Things.

Kino.  
He could no longer end it. Not after spending such an evening with him. He had definitely become too attached to the young man. He felt so at his place during this night, as if his place was in this house, next to Kino, on this kitchen chair or in this worn out sofa in the living room. His place was against Kino's flan, while they both leaned against each other while they laughed.  
He was in love.

Sighing, he tossed into bed for about twenty minutes before finally giving up and getting up. Yuto went out of the room and wandered into the house in search of light. Finally, he opened the back room door, noticing a net of light passing through the half-open door of Kino's office.

He approached gently, trying not to make too much noise and bent down to get a glimpse of this room that he had never seen before.

It was pretty big, and the first thing Yuto noticed was the incredible number of books it contained. The entire walls were shelves, where the books were piled up in a mess, probably organized only for the person who had put them here. They were also a few plants here and there, dressing the room a bit.  
Two benches were enthroned in the centre of the room, positioned to the right and left of the door, like a corridor towards the end of the room. They were covered with written notes, open books and strange materials that Yuto didn't want to dwell on.  
His gaze then turned to the back of the room where an office was set up. There was a lot of paper piled up. They seemed to have been pushed to the edges, to receive the grimoire which Kino, seated at the office, seemed to be flipping through.

Yuto took a loot at the clock in the room, which displayed almost an hour in the morning. He turned his attention to the sorcerer, whose head was supported by one of his hands as he removed his glasses from the other to rub his eyes.

A wave of guilt struck Yuto, realizing that it was for him that Kino was there. He probably had to look for what was following him or take care of the protection spell. He bit his lip before gently knocking on the door to announce his presence.  
The younger one raised his head to the sound, looking surprised that the other was still standing. Yuto advanced towards him as Kino offered him a tired smile.

"You're not sleeping ? It's late…"  
"I feel like I'm hearing my mother." Yuto laughed. "I should be telling you this, technically I'm the oldest of the two of us."  
"I think four days don't count." Kino said, smiling.

Yuto circled around the desk, posing next to the other boy. He quickly observed the grimoire he was reading as he laid his hand on his neck, gently rubbing against the sorcerer's soft skin. Kino hummed, appreciating the contact.

 _God, that's so domestic_ , Yuto thought.

"You should go to sleep too."  
"You are probably right." Kino gently approved by closing his book. "I would see more clearly tomorrow morning."

Yuto nodded, about to say something, but closed his mouth. However, it didn't go unnoticed.

"What is it, Yuto ?"  
"It's nothing, I…" Yuto hesitated. "I just couldn't sleep."  
"You have nothing to worry about." Kino tried to reassure, rubbing Yuto arm. "The house is safe, I putt all my protections in place and I checked several times. Nothing can get in to reach you."

Yuto hummed. He couldn't really explain to the boy that if he couldn't sleep, it wasn't because his mind was busy with the Things. In a surge of confidence, Yuto whispered :

"Will you stay with me ?"  
"What ?"  
"At least until I fall asleep, please."

He saw Kino looking away, his cheeks and ears turning red as he groaned a little, trying to refuse.

"Please, just a moment. I feel safer when you're next to me." He whispered.

Kino looked into his eyes, seeming to look for something in the Japanese's gaze before signing softly and accepting.  
They both left the sorcerer's office before heading for the room. Kino closed the door behind him as Yuto went to bed. The sorcerer timidly settled on the other side of the bed, leaving a comfortable distance between them, while they turned to each other to face each other.

Yuto reached out his hand under the blankets to find Kino's and squeezed it before closing his eyes.

"Thank you Kino." He said softly.

A silence passed before word came out of Kino's mouth.

"Hyunggu."

A slight wave of panic truck Hyunggu as he saw Yuto open his eyes of surprise.

"Excuse me ?"

How to tell him that he could no longer bear to hear his sorcerer name come out of his mouth. He wanted to hear his real name, spoken with that deep voice that gave him shivers.

"My name is Hyunggu." He said in a small voice. "Kang Hyunggu."

He saw Yuto's gaze light up in the darkness.

"Hyunggu." He said softly, seeming to test the name on his tongue.

The Korean swallowed, appreciating the way his name rolled in the mouth of the Japanese. They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before Kino turned away, suddenly shy.

"You really should sleep." He said hastily.  
"Yeah, you're right."

The sorcerer felt Yuto come closer, putting his head against his shoulder as he closed his eyes. Kino also closed his eyes, praying that his erratic heart wouldn't get too much through his chest.  
When he opened his eyes, he began to hum a slight melody to fill the silence. Yuto snuggled his face a little more in Hyunggu's shirt as he gradually felt asleep.

When Kino was sure that the Japanese was asleep, he abandoned the melody.  
He twisted his head a little, with soft brown hair caressing his cheek. He gently pressed his nose into the wavy hair, his mind starting to set out on paths he would have preferred not to approach.

He had often been alone in his life. Of course, he had a loving family with listening parents and an adorable little sister. However, he had always kept himself away from people his own age.  
His world had been divided between the magic and the word without power, since his earliest age. He had bathed in magic and had recused in it, to the despair of his parents who would have preferred him to live a more normal life.  
He had made friends, of course, but he had always kept a certain distance during much of his childhood. This had evolved when he entered university where he met Yan An, who came in exchange for the Chinese branch for his studies. He also met Hui, who was taking internships at the university. He had then made a few more encounters, like Hongseok and Jinho, who were regulars of the shop, Changgu, a close friend of Yan An, or Shinwon and Hyojong, who worked with Hui.

However, despite his small band of friends, he had no outside friends.

Yuto had entered his life like a storm dressed in black, with big, frightened eyes. This storm had found its place in his life, to become a pleasant and comforting breeze.

He knew he had become attached weeks ago. He hadn't been able to resist the charms of Yuto and unfortunately it would one day turn against him.

How was he going to do it when he had to make him forget about the presence of magic in the world. Did he always want to make him forget ? Was he ready to become a stranger again for the boy who had succeeded in getting him out of the solitude in which he had become trapped ?

Hyunggu closed his eyes, trying to block his thoughts and look for a more pleasant train of thoughts. He inspired the smell of his own shampoo in Yuto's soft curls as his mind was filled with fatigue.

When Yuto slowly regained consciousness the next morning, the first thing he felt was a hot blur against his chest. He snuggles up a little more against the hot thing, burying his face in the fabric of the pillow. He was about to spend some more time in bed, starting classes only in the late morning, when he felt the heat moving against his chest.

This surprised him, forcing him to open his eyes. His gaze fell on a pile of messy black hair. Gradually becoming aware of the situation, Yuto stopped moving.  
If he woke Kino, _No, Hyunggu_ , he remembered, while he was hugging him firmly against him, in a spoon position, they would spend a clumsy morning. In fact, they were bound to have a clumsy morning, no matter what. Yuto didn't think the Korean would spend the night with him, and he wasn't quite sure it was voluntary.

Yuto moved his body a bit away from the other boy before sitting down gently. He slowly began to remove his arm from the sorcerer's body before realizing that his hand was still in Hyunggu's, in a loose grip. A heat spread through his chest, realizing that they had also spent the night hand in hand.

God, that boy was gonna kill him one day.

He gently removed his arm before moving a little further away, putting a small distance between their two bodies to limit the discomfort. Sighing, he reached out to wake the other boy before stopping. He took the opportunity one last time of the image of a relaxed Hyunggu, his hair in battle, swimming in a big white shirt. For a moment he was tempted to take his phone to keep a memory, but he changed his mind. It would be a waste of Hyunggu's trust to take his picture in such a vulnerable moment without his consent.

And it wouldn't be better than smelling his clothes in his bathroom yesterday.

He placed his hand gently on his shoulder, lightly pressing his shoulder before shaking him, calling his name.  
A sleeping moan came out of the pillow in which the Korean's face was sunk.

"Hyunggu-ya." Yuto whispered. "It's time to wake up."

The young man turned his head a little, glowering at the Japanese, before getting back in the pillow.  
Yuto gently rubbed his arm, letting him emerge gently.

"Someone is sensitive to waking up…" Yuto gentle tease.

The words seemed to reach the Korean as he turned around, suddenly awakened. He looked at Yuto, before looking around, then again at Yuto. The Japanese was expecting a sharp remark from the little sorcerer who had woken up, but Hyunggu surprised him by sitting down and hiding his face in his hands.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry. I fell asleep."

The tallest smiled, holding back from passing his fingers through the other boy's messy hair.

"It's okay, don't worry."

Hyunggu tried to take a look at Yuto, but instead looked beside him. Surprised, the young man turned to see their reflections in the mirror of the wardrobe.

_Wow, how close would I be to selling my soul to see that every morning…_

Both were staring at their reflections in the mirror. Yuto, rather well awake, still had marks of the pillow's fabric on his cheek. Meanwhile, Hyunggu had his hair wild and his gaze still asleep.

"Oh God, how could I let you see me like that." He said, trying to brush his hair with his fingers.

The Japanese turned to him, seeing how uncomfortable the younger seemed. Yuto would have thought that the discomfort would come from them sleeping in the same bed, rather than from if Hyunggu was presentable or not.

He held his hand in Hyunggu's hair while the youngest froze. He adjusted the hair strands as best he could to make it look a little less like a bird's nest.

"You don't have to be embarrassed because you're not presentable. I'm not presentable either."  
"You're presentable even without trying." He said, a bit harshly.

Yuto laughed a little.

"Such a viper tongue in the morning."

This seemed to calm the sorcerer, who apologized.

"I'm easily irritable in the morning…"  
"It's okay, I don't mind." He says, lying down again in the cushions.

Hyunggu turned to him, looking at him. Yuto stared back before catching the youngest and drawing him against him. Hyunggu made a startled noise, crashing against Yuto's chest. The taller one wrapped his arms around him, preventing him from moving.

"Yuto." Hyunggu moans. "Let me go."  
"No, stay like that. Just ten minutes."

Hyunggu hid his face in the tee-shirt that Yuto was wearing, the tip of his ears was red as the Japanese looked up at the ceiling, painting for his alarm to ring.

The morning passed quietly. Each one going at his own pace.

However, Yuto never missed an opportunity to drag his hand on Hyunggu's neck or arm as he sat closer than necessary, gluing their thighs and shoulders.

Yuto might get used to it.

Finally, they left for the university, walking in a pleasant silence.   
Hyunggu stopped at the gate, making Yuto look at him.

"There was nothing." He whispered.  
"Yes, I didn't feel any strange sensations either." Yuto said, leaning more towards the smaller to hear him better.  
"Apparently, it doesn't come out during daytime. I'm going to be able to narrow my search."

Yuto nodded, feeling Hyunggu's hand start rubbing his arm.

"I'm going to go around the city, to see if there are any unusual things."  
"Okay… Take care of yourself."  
"Always." He smiled at him. "I would come and get you this evening, just to be sure."

Hyunggu exerted one last pressure on his arm before he let go and told him that they would meet later. Yuto watched him leave before passing through the university gate.  
He was about to go to class, when he saw Wooseok only a few meters from the entrance. This one was staring at him, pretending to have missed nothing from the scene.

He came towards him.

"Just friends, huh ?" His taller friends said, with a teasing smile on his lips.

Yuto moaned a little.

"Yes, Wooseok, we're just friends."  
"Are you sure ? 'Cause from where I was, it looked like you were about to kiss."  
"That was not the case."

Wooseok hummed, taking the way to their classroom.

"You guys are great together."  
"Wooseok." Yuto moaned with red cheeks.  
"I was just saying."

Classes passed awfully slowly while Yuto's mind was focused only on Hyunggu.

He was also not helped by the sorcerer, since he had decided to keep him informed of his advance during his tour of the city. Although it looked more like a lot of cute selfies of him, food selfies or stray cats.

**_Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

02:12 p.m| _[Photo]_

02:12 p.m| _Look how cute it is !!_ ❤️

 ** _Emo Boy from Japan_** ☠️

02:13 p.m| _Hyunggu-yaaa, I can't focus on the class_

02:14 p.m| _But this cat isn't the cutest thing I've ever seen_

 ** _Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

02:15 p.m| _[Photo]_

02:15 p.m| _Are you talking about me ?_

Yuto opened the photo to see a selfie of Hyunggu making one of his cutest pouts. He quickly saved the photo before sighing and spreading against his desk.

Then, he proceeded with baseball training, which has been postponed. Yuto gave his best, taking advantage of the fresh air and exercise to work out as much as possible and get all the useless thoughts out of his head.

Towards the end of the training, he approached the bench to grab his water bottle, but was attracted by something in the stands. When he looked up, he was surprised to find Hyunggu, sitting one in the stands, with his legs drawn against him.  
The Korean made him a shy wave while Yuto, surprised, gave him back.

How was he going to be able to focus in the last half hour when the element that was most disturbing to him was watching in the stands ?

In the end, he didn't fare too badly. Only ridiculing himself a little when he narrowly escaped taking a baseball in the face while he was busy looking discreetly at the black-haired boy.  
Yuto went straight to him as soon as the coach freed them. He saw Hyunggu moving down the bleachers, waiting for him downstairs. Yuto was surprised at his outfit, which was rather unusual for Hyunggu. He wore his glasses with th chain that Yuto loved so much, but what surprised him the most was the black and white striped pants, accompanied by a wide black top. Was it mesh fabric ? God, he really hoped he was wearing a black shirt underneath.

"Hey." Yuto said gently.  
"Hey…"

A timid silence passed as Yuto watched the sorcerer's outfit again, noticing with relief that he was indeed wearing a slightly torn black shirt under.

"What do you think about it ? I tried to dress more normally to blend in with the crowd of students, I didn't want to get too noticed."

Yuto looked up at him.

"And did it work?"  
"I didn't run into anyone, so you tell me. Did it ?"  
"Not really." Yuto smiles. "But you look great, so I don't regret the effort."

Hyunggu didn't even seem disappointed to have missed his personal challenge, blushing slightly at the Japanese's compliment.

"How did you find me ? I thought you'd be waiting for me at the gate when I told you what time I was finishing up earlier."  
"Oh, well, you told me about baseball practice last night. And you're luckily not immune to localization spells. So I found you pretty easily."  
"Can you do localization spells by snapping your fingers ?" Yuto asked, surprised.

Hyunggu laughed, striking him slightly on the arm.

"Of course not, I need something from the person I'm looking for. I found your necklace in the bathroom this afternoon."

With a fluid movement, he takes out the necklace from under his tee-shirt before taking it off and giving it to Yuto. The tallest look at it in his hand before hesitating briefly.  
With a slow movement, he passed it again around Hyunggu's neck.

"Maybe you should keep it for now. Just to have extra security."

The Korean blushed at the gesture before nodding, looking at the military dog tags on the necklace.

"These are my brother's dog tags from when they did their military service. They put them on a chain and offered it to me before I left Japan."  
"Oh… Yuto, it's too precious for you. I can't keep it." He said, meeting the Japanese's gaze, ready to take them away again.  
"No, I insist." Yuto said, stopping him. "Keep them for now. I trust you. You will take care of them."

The youngest blushed more, looking away before trying to change the subject. Yuto smiled, asking him to wait there while he went to the locker room to take a quick shower and change.

Then, the duo headed to Yuto's apartment, paying attention to their surroundings, but nothing happened.

When the Japanese unlocked his small apartment to enter it with Hyunggu, he suddenly felt shy. His apartment was rather tidy, but it was also rather empty. Yuto was not very materialistic and had no mire furniture than necessary. Next to the warm and filled house of the sorcerer, his apartment looked sad.

"I'm sorry."  
"Why ?" Hyunggu asked, raised his head as he took off his shoes.  
"It's not as nice as your place."  
"Don't say that, every house has its own vibe. Your apartment fits you."

Yuto suddenly wondered if Hyunggu found him as sad as his apartment.

"Don't pout. I meant your apartment his quiet and reserved, like you."

The Japanese nodded his head as he looked at the sorcerer move around the apartment as he installed protections all over the place.  
Finally, he gave Yuto a small pouch.

"When I'm gone, put a line as straight as you can in front of your door. That will close the protection."  
"Okay, I'll do it."

Hyunggu looked at him for a moment before putting his shoes back on, ready to go. He turned once more towards the Japanese, seeming to hesitate.

"Everything will be fine, Hyunggu-ya. Don't worry."  
"I know. It's just…." Hyunggu signed." If anything happens, you call me right away. Okay ?"  
"Promise."

This didn't seem to appease Hyunggu, but he still left Yuto after wishing him a good evening. Yuto poured the powder in front of his door as the sorcerer had asked him, watching it shine lightly.

They met Monday evening for their usual appointment at the sorcerer's home. Yuto, already working on his essay for next week, watched Hyunggu put on a coat and his boots.

"Are you going somewhere ?"  
"I just got a call. I have to go to check an area not far away. I won't be long."  
"Can I come with you ?" The Japanese asked, closing his laptop.

Hyunggu seemed to hesitate, looking at the orange-tinted sky through the bay window.

"But if…"  
"Hyunggu, it's been several days and it haven't reappeared. I promise to stay next to you."  
"It's really not prudent…"  
"And what am I going to do ? Wait here for your return, alone at your house ?"

Hyunggu hesitated before sighing.

"Okay, fine. But if you step away from my vision, I swear I will make you pay for it."

Yuto laughed, putting on his leather coat and sneakers before following the sorcerer outside. Hyunggu grabbed his arm as they headed to the east.

The sorcerer guided them to what was a kind of natural reserve. A lake sat in the center, surrounded by a path and a lot of wood.

Yuto proposed to separate to cover more ground, but Hyunggu glanced at him with a pinched pout.

"Hyunggu, we would go faster."  
"I know, but…"  
"There was nothing all the way. There will be nothing now. I'm sure it's gonna be okay, and then, I still have this weird protection."  
"Protection that only counteracts spells, not strange beasts !"  
"Hyunggu-ya."

The sorcerer signed, defeated. He tried to persuade himself that Yuto could manage without him and that it would be fine, but it was stronger than him.  
He stared into Yuto's eyes. The tallest smiled at him, knowing that he had already won.

"Okay, fine. We'll split up. But if I call you, you answer, okay ?"

The Japanese nodded his head. Hyunggu squeezed his arm one last time before letting go. They left in two different directions, starting their tour of the lake.

Hyunggu was walking, keeping an eye on Yuto on the other bank. As he advanced, he still felt nothing.

A noise came out of the thickets to his right, freezing him. He quickly grabbed his wand to defend himself in case, but nothing came out. He approached a little before seeing a rabbit running away.  
When he turned, he found himself facing an empty bank.

"Yuto-ya ?!" He screamed, trying to make himself heard to the other shore.

He waited, but he didn't get an answer.   
The panic began to mount. He tried to call him louder, but the silence always answered him.

He knelt on the ground before rushing out of his bag with a powder pouch. He drew a trembling pentacle in the grass before hastily grabbing Yuto's necklace to remove it. He dyed it above as he recited the incantation.

Thank God, Yuto insisted the other night.

The necklace straightened, pointing towards the other bank. Hyunggu put it back around his neck as he destroyed the pentacle with his foot.  
He was still on the other side.

The sorcerer took an inspiration, trying to calm down. He would lose too much time running around, so his only option was to apparate to the opposite side. He knew how to do it, he had done it several times before, but apprehension overwhelmed him every time. So many things could go wrong during an Apparition. Hyunggu breathed deeply, pushing the panic back into his mind in order to concentrate as much as possible. He fired the opposite bank, visualizing it and concentrating on it before to disappear.

He landed on the shore in a momentum, crashing to the ground. The sorcerer rose quickly, disoriented before checking if he was in the right place. He turned, seeing the shore where he had been before.

Panic began to overwhelm him again as he looked around him.

"Yuto-ya ?!"

There was nothing on the shore, so he decided to sink into the forest, continuing to call his name.

"Hyunggu-ya ?"

A wave of relief invaded the Korean as he headed for Yuto's voice. He met him as Yuto seemed to be redirecting towards the shore.

The Japanese seemed about to say something, but the smaller one got ahead of him, moving forward and began to hit him.

"What's wrong with you ?! Do you realize how scared you gave me ?! I turned around, and you were no longer on the shore ! I called you, but you didn't answer me !"

Yuto tried to protect himself from the blows the little one before he managed to catch his hands and draw him against him.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Calm down and stop hitting me, you're too strong for someone who's 5'10"."

Hyunggu placed his forehead against his shoulder, breathing.

"You deserve it."  
"I know. I'm sorry I scared you."  
"What if Things had come back ?"  
"They're not there. Maybe They weren't after me. It was just a coincidence."

The sorcerer hummed, before moving away from Yuto and returning to the shore. The other boy tried to touch his arm, but he freed himself. He was angry, and he wasn't going to let himself be so easily softened.  
The Japanese had to understand the message since he didn't attempt any other physical contact.

"How did you get here so fast ?" He asked softly. "Did you run ?"  
"I appeared."  
"You appeared ? Like in…"  
"Yes." Hyunggu replied, exasperated. "Like in _Harry Potter_."  
" Wow, that's super cool. You're so good, Hyunggu-ya."

The Korean stopped on the shore.

"Compliments aren't going to change the fact that I'm mad at you."  
"I would have tried." Yuto said with a contrite smile.  
"Come on. Let's go home."

The route was made in silence. When they arrived, Yuto returned to work, while Hyunggu went into his office, leaving the door open, to make his report.

They spent the evening apart and in silence. It didn't even change when Hyunggu took him home. Goodbyes were a little distant, but in a surge of courage, Yuto managed to draw a brief hug to the resentful little boy.

When he lay down on the couch, he grabbed his phone to send a message to Hyunggu. They hadn't really been able to talk about what happened, the youngest ignoring him every time Yuto wanted to bring it up.

**_Emo Boy from Japan_** ☠️

09:22 p.m| _Hyunggu, I know you don't want to talk right now and you've probably still angry about earlier. I would understand if you don't answer, but at least read the messages._

09:23 p.m| _I'm sorry. Really sorry. I didn't want to scare you, and I didn't think I was going to go so far away from the shore. I heard a noise. I followed it, and I shouldn't have. I know you panicked, that you were afraid for me. I don't deserve your concern._

09:25 p.m| _If you need a few days, let me know. I'll give you as long as you want._

Yuto sighed. At least he had been able to apologize more cleanly. He hoped that Hyunggu would at least read the messages. However, he felt his phone vibrating in his hand. He looked at it, surprised to recognize the ID.

**_Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

09:29 p.m| _I'm sorry I got upset. I was afraid for you, and my emotions got the better of me. I'm too sensitive, sorry._

 ** _Emo Boy from Japan_** ☠️

09:29 p.m| _Hyunggu-ya, never apologize for being too sensitive. It's okay to be sensitive._

 ** _Harry Potter 2.0_** 🌸✨

09:29 p.m| ❤️

Yuto locked his phone, blushing.

_It's just un emoji, Adachi._

What was he going to do with himself now ?

Tuesday and Wednesday passed quietly. He didn't return to Hyunggu's, who explained to him that he had too much work at the shop to welcome him for the moment. Yuto somehow knew that wasn't the whole truth and that Hyunggu needed to spend some time without him. He'll be patient, but continued to discuss by messages.

He spent his Wednesday afternoon at Wooseok's, but left early as the youngest told him he had work to catch up on.

However, when he arrived in class on Thursday morning, he didn't find Wooseok. He took his place in their usual corner, supposing that the youngest one was a little late. He waited, as the class began. Wooseok didn't show up.  
Then, he sent him a message, then a second one, and then a series of unanswered messages throughout the class.

When he went out for his meal break, he tried to call him but immediately fell on the voicemail. Forgetting the idea of a meal, he left for his friend's apartment. He went easily, meeting the nice concierge at the entrance and went up the steps two by two.  
He tried to open the door, unfortunately locked. Silently thanking that Wooseok gave him the second set of keys in case, he unlocked the door.

Yuto entered, calling his friend's name, but was greeted by a frightening spectacle, stopping him in his momentum.

His friend was in the middle of the living room, sitting on his knees with his head down. He wore only his jeans from the day before and was shirtless, sightly disheveled. The Korean sat in a pentacle drawn on the ground with trembling lines while a book was open in front of him. However, what shocked the most the Japanese was the black brambles that came out of the circle and wrapped around his legs, the thorns wounding him and going up to his chest until reaching his shoulders.

Yuto swallowed, grabbing his phone in a hurry and standing by the door in case. With shaking hands, the Japanese searched for Hyunggu's number in his directory before pressing the call button. He waited for several rings before finally hearing the boy's voice.

"Yuto-ya ? Are you okay ?"  
"Hyunggu-ya, I have a problem. I need you to come."  
"What's going on ? Where are you ? Are you hurt ?" The youngest asked, starting to panic.  
"No it's not me. I'm fine. I'm at Wooseok's, I don't know what he made, but he's in some kind of magic pentacle, surrounded by brambles."  
"Okay… Just stay away from it, okay ? You stay on the phone with me and above all, stay as far away as possible until I get there."

Yuto nodded and said yes, he didn't really want to go near it anyway. He kept an eye on his friend, hearing Hyunggu close the shop through the call.

"Where does he live ?"  
"Hm… You need to join the university. From there, you continue on the main street to the cathedral. You turn right at the intersection. You go straight to number 16. It's a building with white roller shutters."  
"Okay, is that the one across from the French restaurant ?"  
"Yes, that's right. The code is 9801. We're on the second floor, door on the left."  
"All right, I'll hurry. Stay on the phone with me."

Yuto winced, wondering how dangerous these brambles could be for Hyunggu to want to keep in touch with him and make sure he's okay.

He heard the boy's breathing as he ran to join them. From time to time, he heard a breathless "Yuto-ya?", while the Japanese replied, assuring him that he was always on the other side. He went out from the door when he felt it open behind him, revealing a Hyunggu out of breath and disheveled. Yuto hung up his phone before going to get him a glass of water. The boy thanked him, drinking little by little as he watched the desolate spectacle in the centre of the salon.

"So, this is a great demonstration of biased magic. Don't go near for the moment, Yuto."

Hyunggu turned around Wooseok, before putting his glass somewhere and bending over to try to read the pages of the grimoire spread out on the floor.

"I don't know what he tried to do by invoking that spell. But it's not pretty."  
"I thought only sorcerers could use pentacles and incantations."

Hyunggu turned to him, sighing.

"In theory, yes. However, there are spells created by malicious people that can be used by people without powers. But it often goes wrong and that's the result. Given the advance of the brambles, it didn't happen an hour ago."  
"He's wearing the same clothes as yesterday, I guess he tried after I left."  
"Hm… Good news, I can solve the problem, but it's not going to be easy. I'm going to need you."

Yuto approached, standing beside the sorcerer.

"I will dispel the spell with my magic power, but to do that, I will have to touch Wooseok. The brambles will probably react and come after me. Once I get started, I'm gonna need you to hold Wooseok, so he doesn't move. The brambles will be focused on me, so they won't come after you."  
"Wait, what do you mean when you say that the brambles gonna come after you ?"  
"I will be a threat to them because I will try to cancel them. They will certainly defend themselves."  
"It's dangerous."  
"Don't worry, I can handle it. It's the only choice I've right now, because bringing in a more powerful sorcerer would take too long. I'm not sure that we have enough time to do that. Do you trust me ?"  
"Of course."  
"Great, so let's get to work."

Hyunggu moved the book to stand in front of Wooseok. He took one last look at Yuto before closing his eyes to concentrate. The sorcerer laid his hands delicately on Wooseok’s cheeks as he began to recite a series of low-pitched incantations. Yuto watched the body of the younger one glow with a slightly purple aura.

His gaze was then attracted by Wooseok’s startling body, his head rising. He quickly grabbed his shoulders, preventing him from moving. Looking at Hyunggu, still focused, he then saw the black brambles begin to move slowly up Wooseok’s neck. He watched them join the hands of the sorcerer before slowly climbing on them. They wrapped around his handles, rising up along his fine arms before slowly diving into the flesh, passing under his skin. Yuto opened his eyes while Hyunggu grinned with pain, continuing to repeat the cycle of incantation.

"Hyunggu." Yuto began, reaching out to him.

The sorcerer opened an eye, hard and painful, telling him clearly not to touch him with a nod of the head. Wooseok’s body then began to tremble a little more, forcing Yuto to re-focus on the taller one so that it wouldn't move too much.

Finally, after what seemed like tens of minutes to Yuto, the vines faded away. Hyunggu let go of Wooseok, falling to his knees. He was panting, his arms shaking, while the pain was still there. Yuto knelt down, holding Wooseok with one hand and putting the other on the sorcerer’s shoulder to support him.

Wooseok raised his head gently, drawing the attention of the other two men. Hyunggu hastily reached out to each other, reciting an incantation before blowing on his hand. Yuto watched the breeze accompanied by brilliant powder and petals of thyme flowers fly around Wooseok.

The barely open eyes of his friend hid while the sorcerer spoke in a soft voice.

"Wooseok, last night, after Yuto left home, you ate and went to bed because you felt tired. This morning, when you got up, you felt sick and you didn’t go to class. You sent a message to Yuto to warn him. You don’t remember a book in Latin, you don’t remember anything about magic.”

When the boy remained silent, he dispersed the pentacle with a gesture of his hand and gets the book to hide it in his bag, while Wooseok gently blinked, coming out of his trance state. He raised his head, clearly confused as Hyunggu offered him his best smile.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Yuto watched them, standing back and letting Hyunggu handle it. Wooseok looked really confused, but he seemed fine. On the contrary, the sorcerer looked really exhausted, despite the fact that he kept a facade smile.

"Wh-What happened? What are you doing here?"  
"My name is Hyunggu. I’m Yuto's friend. You were feeling sick this morning so Yuto came to visit you, but he found you passed out in your living room, so he called me to help him.”

Wooseok made a small reconnaissance noise before focusing on Hyunggu.

“But your name wasn’t Kino…?”

Yuto saw the Korean’s eyes open wide, glancing at him sideways before re-focusing on Wooseok.

“Oh, Yuto told you about me… Hm, Kino is a nickname my friends call me by.” He said, smiling.  
"Oh, okay." Wooseok answered, a little confused. "I do remember I wasn’t feeling well this morning. Thank you for coming."  
"You’re welcome." Yuto added.

Wooseok rose cautiously, followed by Hyunggu. However, the smallest flank, legs weak, while Yuto rushed to hold him against him, serving as support.

"Are you all right ?" Wooseok inquired.  
"Yes, yes, don’t worry. I’m just a little low blood sugar, nothing serious. I’m going home."  
"I’ll walk you home.” Yuto said immediately, still holding him.

They made sure Wooseok was okay before they left the apartment gently, with Yuto supporting Hyunggu.  
Once the door closed, Hyunggu let himself fall on the landing while Yuto supported him so that he didn't sit too fast.

"I’m sorry, I need a minute or two."  
"It’s okay, take your time.”

Yuto moved them to the steps, so they could sit more comfortably, waiting for Hyunggu to recover. They patched their thighs and shoulder as the Japanese held the other boy against him. Hyunggu let himself be, leaning his head against Yuto’s shoulder, the red cheeks. A comfortable silence settled, until Yuto began to speak softly.

"That was the famous forgetting spell? I remember the flowers and the breeze."

Hyunggu nodded, acknowledging that Yuto was doing some talking. This allowed him to focus on something other than his erratic heart and the warm shoulder against which he rested.

"That’s how it would have happened if it worked on me last month ?"  
"Yes, you would have had the foggy look, and I would have invented false memories."  
"What kind of story would you have come up with ?"

Hyunggu hummed, closing his eyes.

"I would surely have said that you saw me picking a flower and that you thought you saw an angel fall from the sky so much my beauty had struck you." He laughed softly.  
"I didn’t know you were so narcissistic." The Japanese said with a smile.  
"I don’t know what I would have told you. I would have found something plausible on the job. When you livie a life of lies, you develop a pretty ability to lie.” He whispered.

Yuto remained silent, understanding what he meant. Hiding magic and what he was at the world must not always be simple. Lack of vigilance could cause too many problems.

They went towards the sorcerer’s house when Hyunggu was able to stand on his legs without much worry. However, he remained attached to Yuto, just in case. The Japanese took him home, making sure he was okay, before leaving for the rest of his afternoon classes.

Upon leaving his classes, he went to Wooseok’s, making sure that he had recovered from what had happened and had dinner with him. After that, he went to Hyunggu’s house.  
He had no plans to return tonight, but he desperately needed to make sure that the sorcerer felt well, despite the reassuring messages from the youngest as the day went by.

When Hyunggu opened the door, wearing a large shirt down to the mid-thigh and a wide wool jacket, he seemed surprised to see him, and then extremely embarrassed by his outfit.

"Yuto-ya, I told you that I was fine." He said in a tired voice with a little pout, as he pushed himself out of the door to let him in.  
"I know, but I needed to see that it was true." The Japanese replied, trying not to focus on the boy’s bare legs in front of him.  
"Oh my God.”

Hyunggu closed the door, blushing.

"Wait me five minutes. I’m going to put on pants."  
"Why? Are you naked under that shirt ?"  
"What ?" Hyunggu squeaked, cheeks on fire. "Of course not."  
"So why put on pants? If you’re comfortable like that, I don’t mind."

The younger one hid his face in his hands before giving up and heading for the kitchen.

“I was having dinner. I’m sorry, I have nothing but soup and crispbreads for you."  
"Don’t worry, I already had dinner with Wooseok to check on him.”

The sorcerer acquiesced, serving him a drink before sitting down at the table to continue eating. Yuto took the chair from the other side of the table to sit next to him, watching him eat.

"Do you realize that it's really disturbing to get stared at while we eat, Yuto-ya ?" He said in a teasing tone, banging his thigh against Yuto's.  
"I know, it’s just.... I need to know that you're okay.”

Hyunggu laid down his cutlery before gently grabbing Yuto’s hand, placing it on his chest where his heart was. Yuto could feel the muscle pounding through the thin fabric of the shirt.

"You see, I'm okay." He said gently.  
"Are you sure? It beats really fast."  
"This is your fault, not the spell." Hyunggu grumbled, dropping his hand to finish his meal.

The Japanese smiled softly. If Hyunggu flirted so openly, he was fine.

“Are you … staying to sleep?” The youngest asked timidly.  
"If you want me to stay, I can."  
"Please."

Yuto smiled, putting his head on the table to look at Hyunggu. He knew he wasn’t asking because he didn’t feel safe. He was a powerful sorcerer, enough to defend himself alone. It was more a matter of comfort. Yuto had just become a piece of Hyunggu’s comfort. His magic, his plants, his cat. And Yuto.

When they went to bed, they didn't even ask whether Yuto took the bed or not. They both went up into bed, getting closer as Hyunggu laid his head on the Japanese’s chest. Yuto fell asleep feeling the cold dog tags of the necklace that Hyunggu wore against his chest and naked thighs of the boy in contact with his own.

He slowly emerged from sleep, feeling Shiru trying to make his way between Hyunggu’s body and his. He noticed that they were still in the same position as last night, as the cat pushed Hyunggu into the face, making him whistle.

“Shiru." The sorcerer moaned. "Sit down somewhere else, that my place…”

Yuto kept a laugh while the cat was still trying to settle down between them, finally finding a place between his hip and Hyunggu’s belly.

He might accept to live this every morning.

Yuto had made the decision to accompany Hyunggu as much as he could do during his missions. After seeing how bad it could leave him, he refused not to be there to support him. The sorcerer had let him do it, only accepting his presence when it wasn't supposed to be dangerous, despite the protests of the Japanese. _If this turns out to be really dangerous and I have to protect you, defend and attack, I’m not gonna make it._ Yuto had finally accepted, aware that the little one was right.

They didn’t talk about what was going on. Yuto was aware that his feelings must have been more than flagrant, but Hyunggu wasn’t talking about it, so neither was he. In addition, Hyunggu flirted back most of the time, which confirmed him in the idea that it was not really one-way. He’ll just wait until the Korean was ready to discuss about it and settle for what he had for now.

It was a dark and rainy evening when he joined Hyunggu at the edge of the city to explore an old disinfected site that was suspected of containing a breach.  
When Yuto got off the bus, he took refuge under the shelter before looking for the young man. The bus left, releasing his vision, allowing him to see Hyunggu waiting for him under the opposite bus shelter. He quickly joined him, cursing himself not to possess a hooded coat.  
Yuto stopped in front of the sorcerer, who wore an elegant dark purple coat coming under his knees, which looked more like a cape than anything else. The smallest raised his head, revealing his face through the big hood that covered his hair. He smiled at him.

“Ever more discreet Hyunggu-ya." Yuto gently mocked. "You look like a dark mage from a fairy tale…. or a pervert waiting for the kids when they leave school."

His arm stabbed him, where Hyunggu had just hit him.

"Hey ! I won’t allow you." He laughed. "First, I bought this nice coat in town. Second, it’s 9:00 and we’re going to an abandoned place, no one’s gonna be there.” He said after a break as he started walking. “And finally, the only child I pick up at school is you, so you should start worrying more.”

Yuto laughed, following in his footsteps.

"I knew your intentions were not pure. Damn it, what am I going to do now ?"  
"Too late, you are in my net!"

Yuto smiled as he put his hand in the curve of Hyunggu’s back, entering the yard. The sorcerer quickly explained to him what they were looking for as they both took out their phones and used them as a flashlight. They searched the surroundings for energy, a thrill or even a visual clue, but they found nothing.

Hyunggu began to get impatient, talking about stopping for tonight and returning home when the Japanese heard a small noise coming from further behind him. He parted from the smaller one, slowly turning back to approach the wall filled with waste. He glanced at Hyunggu as he continued to move forward, passing light through the air to try to find something. Yuto turned his attention back to the pile of rubble when he heard the noise again.

He suddenly froze when he felt a shiver rising all his being. His mind was screaming danger, but he didn't have time to react while he felt a lightning pain in the leg.

Hyunggu turned, shocked, at Yuto’s cry of pain. He rushed towards him, grabbing his wand and throwing bright flashes at Yuto’s feet. The Thing let go his leg, retreating to the light as the sorcerer cast various spells, trying to reach him, but only retreating.

He reached Yuto, grabbing his arm.

"Run!! In the hangar, quick!"

The taller one did, running as fast as he could while he was limping. Hyunggu heeled him, throwing bright flashes around them to ward off the Thing.  
One of the lightnings lands further, showing several black and slender bodies approaching. It was not a beast, but a whole pack.

The sorcerer swore, casting offensive spells, hoping it would have some effect before entering the hangar with Yuto. He hastily closed the door, throwing a blocking incantation before seeing the Japanese falter. He narrowly caught up with him, helping him to walk as far away from the door as possible. He helped the boy to sit against crates.

"Yuto, are you okay ? Where did it hit you ?"  
"My leg, the right." The oldest winced.

Hyunggu directed the flashlight to the boy’s leg, seeing blood soaking all the jeans, at the calf. Reacting immediately, the sorcerer removed the belt from Yuto’s pants to make him an improvised tourniquet. The panic was starting to build in him.  
Yuto was wounded. He hadn't been able to protect him. He knew nothing about these Things and if they weren't lucky, they could secrete venom. He cast a spell of slowdown on Yuto, in case it would save time and praying that the protection would not block it. We had to get out of here.

Hyunggu looked up, meeting the panicked gaze of Yuto. He felt the tears begin to rise, planting his nails in his thigh to try to keep a semblance of coolness.

"Yuto, listen to me. We- We have to get out of here. We can’t decently run to my house praying to sow the Things. You’re hurt and you can barely stand.”

He swallowed, Yuto staring at him while he waited for him to continue.

“There’s not just one out there. They’re a pack. I can’t manage them all by protecting you. We have to run. The- The only way I see is to disappear." He said, repressing a hiccup.  
"What you did at the lake the other time ?" Yuto asked, squeezing his teeth with pain. "Okay, okay, let's do it."

The sorcerer felt tears flooding his eyes in front of the blind confidence offered by Yuto. He grabbed his arm, sniffed.

"Wait. Wait. I-Disappear is extremely risky. I only do it in an emergency because I hate it. I’ve never taken anyone with me yet."  
"Okay, what could happen in the worst case ?" Yuto asked with a cool head that impressed Hyunggu.  
"You-You could find yourself... dead. Torn apart. I-"

He felt Yuto’s hands on his cheeks, lifting up his face. He felt his thumbs rubbing his cheeks as tears overflowed his eyes. Hyunggu gasped. God, whom he hated to be sensitive.

Yuto approached his head, sticking their forehead and staring at the youngest in the eyes.

"Hyunggu-ya." He said in a tense voice. "If we don’t get out of here, there’s a good chance I’ll die too. We need to run. You’re the person I trust the most on Earth. I’d put my life in your hands a million times if I had to. I know you’re going to succeed. We’re going to get through this alive, both of us. Everything’s going to be fine, but we have to do it."  
"What if I can’t? What if I’m not powerful enough?"  
"Then you’ll have done what you could, and I’ll be happy."

The sorcerer hiccuped, closing his eyes while he felt more tears running down his cheeks. Yuto’s eyes reflected so much confidence that he could no longer look at him in the eyes.

“You need to calm down and breathe, okay?”

Hyunggu nodded, taking a deep breath. They both startled, separating, with loud noises against the walls and the door, which resounded around them.

“Hyunggu, we have to go.”

He nodded, wiping his eyes.

"God, I have never found myself in such a situation." He said as he pressed his wand with an iron fist.  
"So I hope for our sake that this will be the first and last time this happens. What do I have to do ?"  
"Hold on to me, as hard as you can.”

The Japanese executed himself, wrapping his arms around the sorcerer’s neck as he tightened the indigo coat.  
  
Hyunggu concentrated as hard as he could, thinking of the entrance to his house. He tried to visualize the slightest detail, the slightest knot in the wood, the slightest plant bud.

And they disappeared.

They crashed violently on the entrance floor. Hyunggu grumbled at the impact and heard Yuto moan with pain. They took a trembling breath for a second before Hyunggu rushed to the light, his legs weak, to return so quickly to the Japanese.

Thank God, his body looked whole. Hyunggu groped him, verifying that all the members were still there, while Yuto seemed still struck by the violent voyage and landing. The sorcerer breathed a trembling sigh before catching the boy’s face and collapsing against him. He cried loudly, hiding his face in Yuto’s shoulder. He felt the Japanese’s hands up his back, holding him in a sloppy embrace to try to comfort him.

Hyunggu then straightened up quickly, wiping his face with his sleeves.

“We have to take care of your leg, we’ll celebrate our survival afterwards.”

Yuto grumbled as the little one helped him to get up, dragging him to the back room where he installed him on the sofa. He rushed into his office, rummaging through the drawers, before coming back with a bucket full of stuff. The Japanese looked at him, starting to come back to his senses.

"Yuto-ya, take off your pants."  
"Huh ?" The oldest stammered."

Hyunggu raised his head, seeing the other boy turning scarlet red.

"Don’t be a prude. This is not the time. I have to see your leg." He said, crushing a mixture into a small pot.

Yuto started unbuttoning his jeans as the Korean got up to take off his shoes. The Japanese began to lower his jeans, keeping his gaze on the ceiling, too embarrassed to look in the direction of the Korean.  
Hyunggu pulled on the bottom of his jeans to help him, the cheeks slightly red. He was careful not to rub too much on the wound by finishing to remove his jeans to see it. He whistled at the sight while Yuto straightened up a bit to also get a look.

Two rows of fang-shaped wounds were on the extent of his calf. The wound didn't really bleed anymore, but what worried the sorcerer was the color of the wound contour, a dark purple, rising under the skin with the electric purple spots.

“Lie down.”

The Japanese immediately did in the cautious voice of his friend. He grabbed a bag, opened it and stuffed it into Yuto’s hand. He looked there to see a mix of dried herbs.

"You take a handful. You chew it until it turns into paste, and once it turns into paste, you can swallow it. Okay ?"  
"Okay, what is this for ?"  
"With the head of your wound, I’d rather not take any chances. It’s against powerful poisons. You have to swallow the whole bag.”

Yuto shivered, nodding before taking a first grip. He began to chew when he gagged. Hyunggu put his hand on his mouth so that he would not spit out.

“I know, it tastes awful. Please, Yuto-ya, you really have to do this.”

Yuto closed his eyes, taking his pain in patience while chewing, trying to think of something else.

“As for me…” Hyunggu began kneeling beside his leg. “I’m going to try to get as much out of this purple thing as I can. It will be painful." He said.

Yuto didn’t have time to ask why while Hyunggu opened the wounds with a knife to make him bleed. The Japanese grabbed the cushions, holding back from howling with pain.

"I know, I know, I’m sorry." Kino cried, tears in his eyes. "I’m so sorry. Please try to stay conscious. You have to swallow the plants.”

Hyunggu collected what he could from the blood in the basin, continuing to extract what he could. Yuto was pushing his nails into the couch cushions, trying not to give in to the pain as he swallowed the bitter paste.

Finally, Hyunggu stopped, allowing the Japanese to breathe. He thoroughly cleaned his leg, taking care not to cause more pain, before applying a thick, greenish paste to the wounds. The young Korean whispered something before getting up, helping Yuto to sit up so that he could sit behind his back, holding him against him.

“Yuto-ya, you have to keep taking the plants.”

The boy, half conscious, felt Hyunggu give him to drink some water before filling his mouth with more plants.

“Please … You have to eat …" Hyunggu begged him, putting his face into his hair, squeezing a sob.

He began chewing again as Hyunggu pressed him against him. He felt the youngest’s tears fall into his hair as he finished the bag.  
They remained in this position for a good quarter of an hour. Yuto dared not say anything, leaving time for the little one to recover, as he began to feel weird sensations in his legs.

Finally, Hyunggu released his embrace to get up. He wiped his eyes.

“I’ll walk you to the bathroom. A shower will feel good. Do you think you can get up?”

The Japanese rose gently, helped by the youngest. He was surprised to be able to put down his leg without pain and to be able to lean almost completely on it. The Korean guided him to the bathroom.

"Do you think you can shower alone?"  
"It’s nice of you to offer Hyunggu-ya, but I’ve been through enough tonight. If you have to help me wash, I think I could dissolve with shame. I’ll manage.”

Hyunggu blushed before picking up the clothes he had used the last time and leaving it, closing the door behind him. Yuto finished undressing slowly, before taking a hot shower and staying underwater for a while to relax. The mixture that Hyunggu had applied to his leg flowed with the water and he was surprised to realize that the wounds had already closed, leaving behind fresh and red scars. The skin around was still a little purplish, like a bruise, but it didn’t hurt anymore. He stared at the place where the huge holes were in his leg, not even half an hour ago, suddenly feeling how he might not have stood there.

He really could have died that night. He was alive only because of Hyunggu, who had done miracles.  
Yuto knew it was his fault that he had been injured, he had lacked vigilance. He could have died a first time, if Hyunggu hadn't reacted to free him from the Thing. He could have died a second time if Hyunggu hadn’t stood up for them while they took cover. He could have died a third time if Hyunggu hadn’t disappeared with him. He could have died a fourth time if Hyunggu hadn’t treated him.

 _He could have died.  
_ _For real._

It hit him harder as he fully realized what had just happened. Yuto leaned against the wall to stand while he held back a few tears from flowing.

His own tears reminded him of how Hyunggu had reacted that night. The sorcerer had seemed so desperate to lose him, to the point of giving in to panic and to cry many times. Yuto knew he was sensitive. They had already talked about it a little. However, Hyunggu was so usually composed, he wouldn't have thought that he could give in to panic, for fear that Yuto would die.

He sighed as he turned off the water, coming out of the shower. Yuto needed to know. Too bad for the wait, he was going to have to approach the subject himself. After all, Yuto didn't want to be defeatist, but who knows if it couldn't happen again soon. As far as he knew, he could be dead by the same time tomorrow.  
They needed to talk.

He took the clothes that Hyunggu had lent him the last time, putting on the jogging. Then, he passed the shirt, and took a breath, wondering if he still had the smell of Hyunggu.  
The Japanese was surprised that the smell of the young man was so strong on it when he had already worn the tee-shirt several times. Doubtful, he went out to join his friend.

Yuto entered the living room, looking if Hyunggu was there. He found him sitting on the edge of the cushions in front of the window. He was still in the same outfit, just taking off his coat. Yuto could see the edge of his rolled sleeves tinged with his blood turned dry.  
The Korean was watching the pouring rain through his window as he held a cup against him.

The Japanese advanced towards him, taking care to make a little noise while walking so as not to catch him by surprise. He had got closer before he sat on the floor between the boy’s legs. He leaned against the wood and placed his head on the Hyunggu's thigh, lying on the ledge.  
He didn't flinch, continuing to look out the window.

Yuto looked at him, wondering what he was thinking, looking at the rain. Hyunggu seemed really shaken by what had happened tonight and Yuto didn’t know what to say to comfort him.  
Finally, he moved his head against the sorcerer’s thigh, trying to get his attention.  
The youngest turned his head towards him, giving him a tired smile.

"Hey." Yuto whispered.  
"Hey…”

They looked at each other for a moment before the Japanese spoke again.

"Thank you for all you have done."  
"It's nothing, Yuto-ya."  
"No." He said, grabbing his hand. "It’s not nothing. I’m alive because of you, and I really thank you.”

Hyunggu blushed a little, nodding his head as he turned his attention to the rain again.  
Yuto gently let go of his hand, observing him, before taking up the word again in an uncertain voice.

“Should we talk about what happened ?" He whispered.

Hyunggu must have understood what he meant, since he closed his eyes for a moment, only reopening them when he answered.

“Tomorrow. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

The Japanese hummed. They were both tired, and tomorrow was better than nothing. He could wait a little longer. He turned his head the other way, settling more comfortably against the sorcerer’s leg, closing his eyes. He calmed down, trying to enjoy the presence of Hyunggu, when he felt a hand resting on his head. He felt thin fingers running through his wet hair from the shower, gently brushing them backwards. He vaguely heard Latin words coming out of the sorcerer’s mouth as a gentle heat began to spread through the fingers that brushing him.

“You shouldn’t sleep with wet hair in a weather like this, Yuto-ya. You’re going to get sick…”

The older one hummed with satisfaction, relaxing in the heat and contact.

“You say that, but in fact, you just wanted to put your hand in my hair." Yuto whispered and let out a little laugh.

He heard Hyunggu laughed in response to his own, but he answered nothing. He didn't deny it. Yuto felt a surge of confidence going through it.

“Did you sleep in the shirt I’m wearing ?”

It’s been in his mind ever since he put the shirt on in the bathroom. There was a lot of chance that this was the case, but it was always embarrassing to ask out loud.  
The hand in his hair stopped for a moment, probably due to Hyunggu’s surprise, before returning to his wavy hair.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

So it was a yes.  
Yuto felt himself smiling, pushing his nose a little deeper into the fabric of the sorcerer’s pants.

He woke up as Hyunggu gently shook him. The Japanese raised his head a little, confused.

"You fell asleep." The sorcerer said. "It’s almost 1:00 in the morning. You’ll be better off in bed than on the floor."

Yuto nodded, rising up while he took Hyunggu with him. The young man made a startled sound as Yuto gently pulled him to the room.

"Yuto-ya, I was talking about you." He whispered.  
"Little boys also have to go to sleep."  
"Four days don’t count." He moans.  
"Let me rephrase. Great sorcerers must also sleep." He said, pulling him against his body, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, as he fell on the bed with him.”

Hyunggu sighed.

“Fine, but I don’t sleep across the bed.”

This made Yuto smile, as he slowly let go to settle down in the blankets. Hyunggu lay down beside him, putting a little distance which was soon filled by Yuto. This one joined the younger, gently turning him towards him to face him.

"You can be so cuddling when you are tired." The sorcerer murmured.  
"Don’t try to act like it bothers you." He smiled as he hugged the other boy.”

Hyunggu felt warm as he breathed a small sigh, just for the form. He huddled a little more against the taller one, placing his ear against his chest.

"It beats really fast." Hyunggu announced, remembering their conversation from a few days ago.  
"Stop being so cute and maybe it’ll calm down.” Yuto said in a sleepy voice.

The sorcerer smiled, feeling the older one snuggling his nose in his hair.

The next morning, Hyunggu was the first to open his eyes as the curtains filtered out the sun’s rays, giving the room a calm atmosphere. He was surrounded by a soothing heat, pushing his nose a little deeper into the fabric of the Japanese tee-shirt. He closed his eyes, deciding to take advantage of the warm embrace to try to go back to sleep.

However, he felt Yuto start moving a few minutes later. He felt the arm resting on his hip slowly pull out as the Japanese tried to gently pull out of the embrace.

"Stay a little longer like this ... please ..." Hyunggu asked, whispering."

The movement stopped, before Yuto rested his arm, returning to his original position. Hyunggu passed his arm over the other man’s hip to give him back the hug as they remained in a comfortable silence, taking the time to wake up.

It was Yuto who broke the silence first.

“Can we talk…? About last night…” Yuto gently asked.

Hyunggu hummed, closing his eyes as he looked for ways to express his thoughts.

"I’m sorry." he whispered. "I’m so sorry. It would never have happened if I had refused to take you with me. I lacked judgment. I should have been able to protect you, and I couldn’t. Not to mention my lack of composure that could have killed us.... I’m so sorry."  
"Hyunggu-ya, you don’t have to apologize. If it hadn’t happened now, it could have happened tomorrow. It’s okay to panic. You’re human. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about, I-"

Yuto stopped, hearing the younger one holding a sob as the front of his shirt got wet. He tightened his grip on him, rubbing his back.

“Cry, it will be good…"  
"I was so scared. I was so afraid I couldn’t protect you to the end. I was so afraid I was going to lose you.”

He sniffed, continuing in a trembling voice.

"I didn’t want to get attached to you. I didn’t want to, because I had to erase your memory, but now I can’t. I don’t want to. I don’t want to go back to until I know you. I don’t want to go back to my life alone and without you. I’m so sorry that I forced magic into your life. It’s because of me, if I’d been more careful the first time, in the park…"  
"I love you." The Japanese cut him off.

Hyunggu stopped talking, but he jumped slightly. A moment passed before the younger one stepped back to be able to look at the other man in the eyes. He felt his cheeks burning as Yuto smiled softly at him.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I should have told you earlier. I was waiting to see how it would evolve… but staying friends is fine if that’s what you want. I just… needed to tell you, after what happened yesterday. I couldn’t keep it for myself anymore, you know.”

Yuto felt his cheeks warm under the surprised look of the youngest, who didn't react.

"Really Hyunggu-ya, if it makes you uncomfortable, we can just forget what I said."  
"No."The smaller one suddenly dropped. "No, I.... I’m just surprised. I didn’t think that—"  
"Hyunggu-ya." The Japanese laughed slightly. "I’ve been flirting with you for a while now…"  
"I know, but I thought… I thought it was just how you were with your friends…” He blushed.

Hyunggu looked away as he pulled on Yuto’s shirt to keep his hands busy.

"I like you too." He said timidly.  
"Just like ?" Yuto asked with a smile.  
"Rah, shut up, you know what I mean.”

Yuto laughed as Hyunggu hid his face in his shirt, hugging him tightly.

"You’re not usually so shy." The Japanese said, smiling.  
"There is a first for everything…”

The morning passed slowly as the two were a little treading water around each other. They hadn’t talked much more, just accepting each other’s feelings. Yuto didn’t really know how to behave with the youngest and it seemed that the other boy was at the same point. The Japanese didn't dare to do more than usual, limiting himself to fleeting contacts, observing the Korean blush at each touch.

They had breakfast while Yuto was sending a message to Wooseok to warn him that he was sick and would be away today. He felt good, but Hyunggu preferred to keep him with him at least for the day, just in case. The Japanese hadn't argued, suspecting that Hyunggu wanted to spend a quiet day with him after the chaos last night.

They settled in front of a movie in the late morning, almost huddling together. Yuto tried to pay attention to the film. He really tried, but it was complicated when the boy next to him was more interesting. The Japanese slipped his hand on Hyunggu’s shoulder, slowly rising up, touching the short hair of his neck. He saw the youngest smiling at the touch, the eyes remaining focused on the film.

Yuto passed his fingers through Hyunggu’s hair, playing quietly with it as he began to comment on the movie. The youngest looked at him, smiling more, as he answered. They ended up no longer looking at the screen and just arguing about the idiot choices of the main character, Yuto playing with his hair and Hyunggu trying to smooth the creases of the Japanese’s pants, trying to keep his hands busy.

Finally, Yuto drew closer to him, almost sticking his forehead against his.

"The movie really sucks." Yuto whispered, looking into his eyes.  
"It is true." Hyunggu laughed softly.

The Japanese looked into his eyes before he briefly looked down on his lips. God, he wanted to kiss him. He didn’t know if Hyunggu would let him, but he could at least try.  
He released a lock of the sorcerer’s hair, slipping it behind his ear as he slowly resumed speaking.

"Hyunggu-ya, can I-"

He was interrupted by the ringing of his phone, placed on the coffee table. Yuto closed his eyes, holding a sigh of frustration as he cursed the person who was ruining everything, in all the languages he knew.  
When he opened his eyes, he came upon a Hyunggu holding back his laugh.

“Yuto-ya, maybe that’s important.”

The Japanese sighed as he grabbed his phone. He looked at the contact, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s my mom. The university would have called her because I wasn’t there?”

The sorcerer shrugged his shoulders, observing him as he answered the call, bringing the telephone to his ear.

"Hey momma."  
"Hello, sweetie, how are you?"  
"Hm… I’m fine." Yuto said, as he watched Hyunggu gently take his free hand and start playing with his fingers. "I mean, I’m home right now because I catch a cold, but nothing serious."  
"A cold, I see… Take care of you, sweetie. Drink a lot of hot things."  
"Yes, I promise, it will pass quickly. Uh... You were calling for something specific?"  
"Just checking on you. I was hoping you’d be home soon since the holidays are coming up."  
"Oh… You know, with classes and baseball practice. I don’t know if I could go home on these holidays.” He said, looking at Hyunggu.

The sorcerer didn't look at him, still playing with his fingers, but a pout was clearly drawn on his face.

"You really have to go home, Yuto."   
"Huh… Is something happen ?"  
"No, but everyone misses you."  
"I miss you too." Yuto sighed. "I’ll see what I can do, I’ll call you back in the next few days."  
"Okay. And take your new raven-haired friend with you.”

Yuto startled, about to ask her mother how she knew about Hyunggu, but she hung up. He stared at his phone for a moment, surprised, while the little one asked him if he was okay.

“Hm, yes… My mom wants me to come home during the holidays."  
"Yes." He said in a small voice. "I heard."  
"She told me to bring my “new raven-haired friend”."

Hyunggu turned his head towards him.

"Wooseok?"  
"No, she knows Wooseok since school debut. She’s already met him. She was talking about you."  
"Did you… tell your mother about me?" The sorcerer asked, blushing slightly.  
"Well, I... I told her about you quickly last month, just saying I made a new friend. But nothing more. How did she know your hair are black…?  
"You must have told her and you didn’t pay attention. It’s nothing…”

Yuto hummed, turning a little more towards Hyunggu.

"Would you come over?"  
"In Japan, during school holidays, with you?"  
"Yes." The Japanese replied, a little anxious that he refuses.  
"Well, maybe it’s a little early to meet your parents." Hyunggu laughed." But I feel like I don’t really have a choice, so I come.”

The older one smiled, blushed, at the implication.

“Yuto-ya." He called in a low voice.

He raised his head towards him, feeling Hyunggu’s fingers slipping into his neck, scratching through the short hair. He felt a slight pressure, making him move forward, while the younger one filled the void between them. Their lips met softly. A shy touch before they separate, eyes meeting. Yuto passed his hand to the back of Hyunggu’s head, enticing him again. The Japanese kept a shiver when their mouths met again. They kissed each other gently, leaving their hands on each other’s bodies, completely forgetting the movie.

When they parted, Hyunggu hid his face in the other boy’s neck. Yuto kissed his skull, holding it close to him.

"Hyunggu-ya is shy~"  
"Shut up." He said, giving him a blow, coming out of his embrace. "Does that make you my boyfriend ?" He asked timidly.  
"You’re so cute, Hyunggu-ya. Sure, if that’s what you want.”

Hyunggu hid his face in his hands as Yuto pulled him against him, happier than ever.

Yuto called his mother back the next day, telling her he had found plane tickets for next weekend, making her happy.

The two boys spent the week glued together, Yuto leaving the house only to go to class, accompanied by Hyunggu before he went to open the shop. The youngest also came back to pick him up at night, so that they could make the route together.

They fell into a pleasant routine, getting to know each other in a different way.

Hyunggu, in parallel, researched the Things that had attacked them, analyzing the blood he had extracted from Yuto that night. He eventually found the exact beast, finally announcing that the secretion was not deadly poison, but above all a powerful tranquilizer, which could nevertheless have killed him with the high dose he had received. This made Yuto all the more grateful to the youngest, as he showed as many affections as possible.

They flew to Japan on Friday afternoon, after Yuto’s classes. The journey went well, both taking advantage of this time to relax. It was one of Yuto’s elder brothers who came looking for them, hugging his little brother as if he had not seen him for several years.

He also introduced himself to Hyunggu before embracing him, welcoming him to Japan.

"Oh." He said, surprised. "These are our dog tags."

Hyunggu bowed his head, noticing Yuto's chain still present around his neck. He felt his cheeks warm as he realized that he had still not returned them to the Japanese.

"Yes." Yuto said. "They were bothering me to sleep on the plane, so Hyunggu-ya kept them for me, so I wouldn’t lose them."  
"That’s nice of you, Hyunggu." The older smiled.

Then he drove them to a house outside the city centre, catching up with Yuto on what he had missed during his absence. Hyunggu was listening, looking out the window. His mind was running, apprehensive about what was going this week. He felt Yuto’s hand touch his knee slightly, caressing it in an attempt to comfort him.

"Is Mom at home ?"  
"Nah, she had something to take care of for work, but she should be back soon."  
"Okay.”

When they arrived, Yuto introduced his other siblings to the younger one before taking him around the house, ending up in his room, where his older brother had packed their suitcases.

"And this is my teenage room."  
"You deserve your nickname so much… I’ve never seen a room so emo, Yuto-ya.”

Yuto turned to the younger, pouting. Okay, maybe his room was a little dark and filled with metal and rock band posters, but that didn’t make him an emo.

"I’m joking." The younger one laughed, pulling him against him, stealing a kiss.  
"You’d do well, or you’ll face my terrible revenge."  
"You’re not in a position of strength."  
"I am the oldest."

"Four days don’t count, Yuto-ya." Hyunggu says with a lovely pout.

The Japanese closed his eyes while sighing.

"No, this is cheating."  
"No, it’s using your weak points wisely." He laughed.

Hyunggu drew it again to place a kiss on his lips. Yuto hastened to answer, pulling the smaller one against him to deepen their kiss. They were interrupted by the opening of the bedroom door.

“Yuto-Oh sorry, I’m interrupting something.” His sister said with a small teasing smile.  
"Please, knock next time." Yuto moaned while Hyunggu looked away, red face.  
"Yes, yes." She laughed. "Mom came home.”

Yuto felt the younger slightly tender, as he told his sister that they were going down. Once she was gone, he turned to the smallest.

“It’s going to be okay?"  
"Yes, yes, I’m just a little… anxious."  
"My mom is very nice, don’t worry. And we don’t have to tell her about us, if it makes you uncomfortable. We can wait.”

The youngest nodded his head. Once Yuto was sure he was okay, he came out of the room, Hyunggu following in his footsteps. When they arrived in the living room, a tall woman with brown hair greeted them. Hyunggu froze while Yuto turned his head towards him, surprised.

What surprised him, even more, was the burst of panic that passed through the eyes of the youngest before he bowed down immediately. Yuto was going to ask him if he was okay before his mother spoke.

“Hi sweetie. Hi Kino, please stand up.”

The youngest obeyed, keeping his eyes on the ground. The Japanese barely had time to integrate what had just happened while his mother told them to settle down before leaving the room.

A silence settled before Yuto reacted. He directed Hyunggu to the sofa before pulling him to sit with him. The youngest buried his face in his hands, looking like he was about to cry.

“What just happened ?"  
"Oh my God, Yuto. You really are… rah." He says, full of frustration.

The older one blinked, waiting for Hyunggu to deign to explain.

"Your mother is a member of the World Magic Council." He whispered to him with his eyes fixed. "She is a witch, and not just any witch. An extremely powerful witch who makes important decisions for the magical world. Oh my God." He said, rubbing his face. "How could you not have know about magic with a mother who is a world-famous witch."

Yuto froze, trying to integrate what Hyunggu was explaining to him.

"God, I am so dead." The younger one said. "She asked me to come, to drag myself in front of the Council and sue me because I made you aware of magic."  
"What? No, I’m sure not. Come on, Hyunggu-ya, you’re exaggerating, maybe she just wanted to meet you."  
"Yuto-ya, we already know each other. She’s one of my most important superior. I have— Oh my God, I did things with his youngest son.” He says as he put his head in his arms in an air of defeat.

The Japanese felt his cheeks burning as he tapped Hyunggu’s back, looking for something to say to calm him down.

"Listen to me. I’m sure that’s not why she wanted you to come. So we’ll wait and see what she says, and we’ll figure it out, okay?”

Yuto pulled him against him, giving him a hug.

“If she’s really angry, I’ll defend you, don’t worry.”

The youngest nodded, short of words, while Yuto slowly let go. Hyunggu was going to say something, but he was interrupted by Yuto’s mother who entered the room again. Yuto saw him looking down at his feet, before focusing again on his mother who was sitting in a chair in front of them.

"Calice, witch with level five aggregation, member of the Magic Council, supervising the Japanese branch." His mother declared before bowing slightly.  
"Kino, sorcerer with level two aggregation, specializing in research and herbalism.”

Yuto saw Kino bow respectfully once again before standing up.

"Well." His mother said, smiling. "Now that the formalities are done, we will be able to talk."

Yuto glanced at her in confusion as Hyunggu gave him a slight nudge.

"These are the presentation procedures." The youngest whispered.  
"Oh, okay, so— Yuto, son of Calice and friend of Kino, would like to understand what is going on because apparently his mother has hidden a lot from him…”

The woman laughed before smiling at her son.

"I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t want you to be involved in this world, for your own safety. Children of sorcerers often live apart from the human world when they are aware of the existence of magic. Kino did.”

The younger one blushed, looking away.

"I wanted you to live a normal life, that’s why I preferred not to tell you about it."  
"I understand why, but… I’m an adult now. You could have told me about it once I had reached the necessary maturity."  
"I didn’t see the point, except to disturb you.”

The Japanese breathed a frustrated sigh, preferring to change the subject.

"Why did you want H-." He got hit in the ribs. "I mean, why did you want Kino-ya to come to Japan with me?"  
"To explain to you what happened… with this spell story and what you were attacked by.”

The older one opened his eyes wide as the pieces gradually began to fit into each other. He felt Hyunggu getting a little closer to him, listening to what his mother was going to say.

"As a Magic Council member, I do what I can to maintain an intact balance for the world of magic. However, my position and my decisions make me make a lot of enemies. When you told me you were leaving for Korea, I was afraid someone would come after you, to get to me, because I couldn’t protect you from that far away. That’s why I set up this protection spell, just in case."  
"That’s why the Things attacked us?"  
"Yes, someone wanted to hurt you to get to me. But you don’t have to worry anymore, he was arrested and will have the right to a trial."  
"Okay, but what does that have to do with Kino? And how did you know everything that was going on ?"

His mother pouted, telling him that she had people in Korea watching him. Yuto felt somewhat hurt, realizing that all his actions had been controlled and reported to his family.

“I invited Kino for several reasons.” She went on.

Hyunggu stood up, trying to appear assured.

“First, to give him a verbal warning about what happened in the park with you.”

Yuto frowned, preparing to rebel and explain the importance that the young Korean had in his survival.

“Yuto, listen to me until the end. I want to be clear about a verbal warning because there will be nothing on his file in the Council. Secondly, I wanted to thank him for helping and saving you, and for taking care of you. Thank you so much Kino for your work and help. You saved my son and I am truly grateful."

Hyunggu blushed, lowering his eyes under the attention given to him.

"Since the mage in question has been arrested. I will be able to lift the protection spell temporarily, until you are in Japan, sweetie."  
"Okay." Yuto hummed.  
"And I can make you forget all that.”

These words shocked the two boys, as they stared at her, speechless.

"E-Excuse me ?" Hyunggu stammered out.  
"Don’t be mad at me, boys. Yuto, the reason I kept you in the dark all this time was to protect you. Now that you know and away from me, you are far too much in danger. I must make you forget about the existence of magic."  
"But…" Yuto began. "If I forget the existence of magic. Kino…"  
"Yes, unfortunately, you’re also going to forget your friend and all the time you spent together. But nothing will stop you from meeting again under better circumstances. Especially since Kino will keep his memories.”

Yuto turned to Hyunggu, preparing to ask him why he said nothing. He froze at the sight of the Korean, who broke his heart. The little one had his head down, biting his lip as he was probably trying to hold back his tears. He squeezed his own hands into an iron fist, pushing his nails into his flesh, leaving bright red croissants. This is when Yuto understood. Hyunggu desperately wanted to intervene. He wanted to defend them from this disaster, but he couldn’t say anything because of his hierarchy.

Yuto bit his lip, grabbing Hyunggu’s hands to squeeze them, preventing him from further injuring himself, before turning to his mother with a determined look.

“There's no way.” He says.  
"Yuto, sweetie, it’s for your own good."  
"No, stop saying it’s for my own good. I don’t want to forget the magic. I don’t want to forget Kino. I’ve never been happier than the month I spent with magic. The month I spent with him.”

He tightened Hyunggu’s hand, rising up.

"I refuse to forget him. I refuse for you to erase Kino’s presence from my life just because you decided it would be better for me. You’re afraid for my safety, but in the meantime, it wasn’t your henchmen who saved my life many times that night! It’s Kino. It was Kino who fought the beasts. It was Kino who allowed us to get away with the Disapparition, even though it was risky. Kino did what it took to keep me from dying, and he took care of me. Not your minions. Not you. Kino. A sorcerer hierarchically inferior to you. So until proven otherwise, Kino deserves his place in my life more than anyone!"

He kept quiet, taking deep breaths as his hands trembled. He watched the only other two people in the room. His mother seemed shocked by his rebellion as Hyunggu looked at him with red cheeks, tightening his hand.

Yuto crossed hands with Korean's one before staring at his mother.

"I love Kino, and you can’t stand in the way of that. No matter how many times you erase my memory, I will inevitably end up meeting him again and re-discovering magic."  
"Sweetie, these soulmate stories only exist in fairy tales."  
"Maybe, but for me, magic also existed only in fairy tales until a month ago. So if I decide to believe in soulmates, that makes Kino my soulmate, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

His mother seemed stunned by his son’s logic, before taking turns watching them, then sighing.

“Well, I don’t think I could change your mind…”

Hyunggu raised his head, looking at her, surprised. Yuto, meanwhile, sat down beside him, relieved to hear that he had won the battle.

"As a mother, I definitely cannot interfere with your happiness. I agree to let you evolve in the world of magic, but under several conditions !"

The Japanese nodded, ready to listen.

"First, you keep the protection spell, and I want Kino to promise to take care of you."  
"Of course, I promise you that I will do everything I can to protect him." Hyunggu said immediately.  
"Secondly, I’m going to regulate your little magical outings. I’m going to inform the Korean branch that Kino now has a human assistant. The missions will, or will not, be approved for you, and you will have to respect that decision, Yuto. If a mission shows that only sorcerers are allowed, you won’t go, understand?"  
"Yes, Momma."  
"And finally… I want you to get married in Japan.”

Yuto choked on his own saliva while Hyunggu could compete with the tomatoes in the garden.

“Mom, we’re not there yet. It’s only been a week."  
"I know, I’m joking. The atmosphere was too heavy." She laughed softly.

Hyunggu calmed down while Yuto sighed. His mother got up to take them both in a hug, welcoming them to Japan and welcoming Kino into the family.

“My name is Hana Adachi.” She said to the youngest. “It’s great to have you home."  
"Kang Hyunggu." The Korean replied, laughing a little.  
"Oh, I know your name." She smiled. "I know pretty well your mother Hyunggu. In fact, I have pictures of you two playing here when you were three years old.You were so cute.”

The two boys seemed shocked as the woman spoke again.

"Your mother would be extremely proud of you Hyunggu-ya."  
"Thank you." He smiles softly.

Hyunggu was sitting on Yuto’s bed as he entered the room, returning from the shower. The Japanese observed the dark sky through his window before focusing on his boyfriend.  
He sat beside him on the bed, drawing him in an embrace.

“You see… Finally it went well. There was no need to panic…"  
"You’re talking about the “magic” part or the “in-laws meeting".”

The Japanese laughed.

"Both. Even though I admit I panicked about the magic part."  
"Yes, so do I.... Thank you."  
"What do you thank me for?"  
"For opposing your mother for me.”

Yuto pulled the younger one at him, slowly turning his face to look at him.

“Hyunggu-ya. I will oppose the world for you.”

The Korean made him such a pretty smile that Yuto knew at the time that he would be happy. He had found his home in a country that was not his own. He had found comfort and love.

And he wouldn’t give them up for anything.

Not even for magic.

End.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!
> 
> Some may be disappointed with this end. I had another choice to make a sad ending, or an open sad ending... but I really didn’t have the heart to make them unhappy :( I don’t like sad endings (and this story is already 40 pages long, I could not see myself going back on 20 more pages).
> 
> I still hope that you like it! Do not hesitate to comment to say what you thought!  
> Normally there will be an OS that will follow this story (a Halloween OS but since I post everything off-beat... I don’t know when it will come out, maybe one day).
> 
> Maybe I’ll write more things about this universe...
> 
> Instagram @haze_draw  
> Tumblr @haze-draw  
> Twitter @haze_draw
> 
> [EDIT 20/12/29]  
> Some bonus arts!  
> They take place in the same universe as the fic so I might as well put them here:)  
> \- Hyunggu: https://haze-draw.tumblr.com/post/631694970310492160/artober-2020-inktober-2020-day-11-falling-you  
> \- Hyunggu + Glasses : https://haze-draw.tumblr.com/post/638755365168857088/artober-2020-inktober-2020-day-26-nature-you  
> \- Yuki: https://haze-draw.tumblr.com/post/638774387973177344/artober-2020-inktober-2020-day-29-dream-you  
> \- Child Hyunggu: https://haze-draw.tumblr.com/post/638835722227449856/artober-2020-inktober-2020-day-30-alone-you
> 
> I’m also thinking more and more about writing a real sequel (basically there was only supposed to be an epilogue with the Halloween OS).  
> It won’t happen right away (if it does), but I’m thinking about it.


End file.
